World Without Heroes
by KisekiMa
Summary: AU, future. Magic is controlled by computers. The system allows to summon Servants, but their only purpose is to fight on the Arena for the prestige of the richest families of magi... Until the day when the system suddenly crashes, leaving unaffected only the weakest magus, descendant of a certain nameless hero, and her six Servants. Will they fix the situation and save humankind?
1. Questions

**1: Questions**

* * *

"Oh, this one is different! Just look at his parameters!"

Two technicians were examining a Servant, who materialized just a moment ago in the summoning tube. It was a graceful figure, with pale skin and two-colored eyes. His calm gaze wandered around the facility while he was scanned by the special machinery.

"Lancer class. Divinity skill. Indian origin." The first analyst was focused completely on reading the new data from the screen, but a clear admiration could be heard in his voice.

"No way… Karna?!" The jaw of his friend literally dropped at the discovery. "How fortunate the first family can be? They summoned Gilgamesh last week and now another EX++, just like that?"

"This is the power of money, Bobby. They own the biggest server."

"Too bad Gilgamesh has the same Master." The guy called Bobby sighed painfully. "I would kill to see them spar!"

"Maybe one day they will give us a show. Everything is possible on the Arena."

"I doubt any greedy magus would risk damaging his precious toy just for fun. But.. wait… What's that?"

A tiny red light started to flicker annoyingly on the screen. Both technicians looked equally surprised. No one knew the function of the button under the red point, but it couldn't mean anything good.

"I have no idea! It had never activate before."

"Shit!"

They froze, seeing the face of freshly summoned Servant. The white skin seemed damaged. A strange black mist was spreading across the ideal body of Lancer – it looked extremely painful, but he somehow managed to keep his composure. Then his material form literally shattered into pixels and vanished.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Bobby was trying to fix this mess, his fingers kept desperately tapping the keyboard. "What's going on here? The system crashed?!"

"Impossible! It has never happened befo…" The other technician fell silent when all the lights in the facility suddenly died. Only the blue screen shone mockingly in their terrified faces.

"Reset it, dammit!"

"I'm trying!"

"Hurry up!"

And then they heard a fire alarm. But the real catastrophe was yet about to start.

* * *

"What does it mean – to be a hero?"

The man smiled; it was his typical expression, full of sadness and hidden wisdom, unusual for someone who looks as young as him. Blond, bright and handsome, he seemed more like a typical prince charming, not the greatest king of legends.

"What's with that smile?" – she asked after a moment of prolonged silence, not sure if her question was stupid enough to ignore it.

"Nothing. I was thinking how should I answer. I wanted to say that you will find out by yourself eventually, but then I realized I do not wish such cruel fate for you."

"I don't think I would have an opportunity to ever try, honestly. We live in a world without heroes." She sighed, a distant, unexpected longing in her voice. "Anyway, I heard that one of my ancestors was a hero, but no one even knows his name. There are no monuments, no stories about him, nothing… Maybe he wasn't very good at heroing?"

"I don't think so. The real heroes are the nameless ones: a mother who saved her child from flames, a soldier who died rescuing his comrades. We, Heroic Spirits, are exceptions, only because our existence entered fiction, in some cases while we were still alive."

"I'm not sure I understand…"

The golden-haired king chuckled and gently patted the girl on the head, like a playful older brother.

"Sorry, you don't have to understand. I suppose I think too much last days."

"It's because you're here?" That wasn't really a question. She lowered her head, feeling guilty again. "It's my fault."

"Not. At. All." The king accented every word by poking her chin; he continued until she smiled again. "It was my choice and mine alone, remember? But that's enough chatter for today. You have to wake up. Our knights are unusually excited today, I can feel it."

She raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"Only two of them are officially known as knights, you know?"

"Well, you're right… in a manner of speaking." His smile was somehow wicked and could not mean anything good. "But, as a king, have I no right to choose the bravest ones to join me at the Round Table?"

"Oh? Even Assassin counts?"

The golden-haired Servant laughed in response.

"They're all our knights now, the good guys," he said without hesitation, then winked. "But don't ever tell Caster I said that. Celtic heroes usually are hot-headed and he probably wouldn't like it."

"Well, I guess Lancer and Archer would be pleased to hear that from you." She couldn't hold her smile, thinking of each Servant's reaction. Archer would never admit how happy he is. Saber would most likely sigh and ignore the topic, Assassin would react with a smirk or very annoying 'Hmmmpf'. Caster truly has his own ways to beat such silly ideas out of others. And Berserker… Someone would be punched in the face, definitely.

"Let them know it if you think so." His smile was calm and simply stunning. "But now please wake up, my brave and cute Master."

She wanted to say something, but any sharp or funny answer did not come on time. Her eyes opened unwillingly, leaving the brightest of kings alone in the realm of her soul.

* * *

"How's the Chaldea expedition?"

The door to the old library opened with an extremely annoying sound. Two men who entered the abandoned, traditional archive coughed from the dust in the air. The taller one with a beard, known as Doctor Rufus, cleared the room with a short spell, then he summoned more magic to light the way.

"They've already found the power generator," Harvey, the second magus, said. He was a slim individual with glasses too large to fit on his nose. "Soon we should be able to launch the old system."

"Good, it should be enough to start the operation."

"If we'll have anyone to send."

Doctor Rufus fell silent for a while, having no arguments against that simple statement. It was ironic how members of the most powerful families of magi were useless during the crisis. With all servers of 'the indestructible System' shut down, their Servants lost the main source of energy and disappeared into pixels, one by one. It looked like something devoured their bodies or rather sucked them into some strange virtual reality…

Well, some Servants were still here, mostly Archers, Assassins and some others with Independent Action skill or another sources of energy, like bloodsuckers. The weakest Heroic Spirits survived as well, because they did not drain their Masters as much as the rest did.

Harvey suggested it was magi's fault for not being able to withstand the pressure of maintaining Servants' existence traditional way. Their bodies were not trained to do so, especially for too many and too powerful ones. Even if Masters will successfully adapt, for now they're just useless, their circuits in deep shock and Servants drastically weakened.

But, if what Rufus suspected was true, they had no time to sit and wait. Someone must be send into the System, through time and space, as soon as possible. A traditionalist who's not affected by the breakdown.

There was a certain individual, infamous in the society of magi, due to her lack of abilities and 'weak' Servants. What's more, this imprudent girl did not even bother to participate in tournaments! She simply left the capital two years ago with her pathetic party and choose to live in a forest, like some kind of a weirdo.

And two most important members of the Science Department were now searching for her folder in the long abandoned library. With a bit of magic it did not take long, so they both sat on the receptionist's desk and started reading.

"Aki Emiya." The bearded magus spat this name like an insult. Actually it worked like one in their society. "Why someone like her was even allowed to perform the summoning?"

"Well, it seems that one of her ancestors won the last Grail War…"

Doctor Rufus held his breath. That was a rare achievement, indeed. Today no one even knows how such war looked like, but it's a common knowledge that it was hard to survive, not to mention winning.

"So? How many Servant this forest girl has?"

Harvey checked his glasses and got back to reading.

"Seven. No, six… No, maybe seven. Six! Or seven. Hmmm…"

Doctor Rufus impatiently cleared his throat.

"So…? What's so strange about it?"

"It's complicated. You see, she started pretty well, by summoning a Saber. I can see that he was rated EX+. Hmmm, never signed for a tournament… and then suddenly lost from records only two weeks later."

"Oh?" Rufus raised his eyebrows, clearly suspicious. "The official reason?"

"I'm checking… Here: 'The Servant's core was unstable and totally incompatible with the system; Saber vanished after two weeks.' Have you ever heard of something like that?"

"Well, technically it is possible." Rufus was about to light a cigarette, but the other scientist stopped him. The risk of losing the remnants of the traditional archive in fire was too great. "Sorry. Any Servant would certainly vanish if his Master is very weak, I think that was their problem." He frowned, thinking. If the girl has so little magic in her circuits, their last chance to fix this mess is already lost. "I guess this Saber is long gone, someone just forgot to update the archive." And Rufus did not blame this person, because all details were safe in the system until the accident. "What about the rest?"

"It doesn't look good," Harvey said quietly with a painful expression. "Her next Servant was a Lancer, rated C. A dual wielder, nothing more worth saying. Then she participated in the multiple summoning and managed to get three more Servants. The best one was another Saber, rated A-… or B+, the experts were not sure. The note says that this Servant is highly specialized, so he seems useful only in specific conditions, although overall stats are not bad. Next one was Archer, rank C, almost zero combat utility as noted in remarks. And the last one is a catastrophe, Assassin, not even rated."

"Why?"

"It's a fictional Heroic Spirit. Useless at first glance."

"Oh." Rufus was not able to say anything more. He though he's prepared for the worst, but it was just unimaginable. He put the rest of his shattered hope into his last question: "And the other two?"

"No details as well, Caster, rank B. The last one is surprisingly a Berserker, rank A for physical traits, but probably… sane. None of them ever participated in tournaments, so we had no material to work on, no data to compare."

"Don't you think it's strange? She wasn't able to keep one Servant and now manages to have six without any problems? Including a Berserker?"

"Five weaklings and sane Berserker," Harvey corrected mechanically, clearly not impressed.

"Maybe. But I think it's strange anyway."

"If she still has them..."

"That's what we must find out."

They both sighed, clearly not enjoying the thought of a trip to the wild that awaited them.

* * *

The king ordered her to wake up, so she did, not even sure why she was asleep.

Aki Emiya realized that she's resting on something hard and hot. It was comfortable, like she was sleeping on a surprisingly nice radiator.

Well, it was a radiator. Kind of.

"What are you doing here, Berserker?" She blinked but did not bother – yet – to stand up. His muscular abdomen WAS a comfortable spot to sleep on, no joking.

"Huh?"Aki's Servant, a big man with unnaturally brown skin, covered in scars, looked at her questioningly. "Guarding my sleeping Master?"

"And you're sure that you're not just… taking advantage… of the situation?"

Berserker smiled, his white teeth contrasted the dark skin. Aki found the view quite fascinating.

"Don't worry, Master. You're safe here." He chuckled. "As safe as in a bear's cave!"

"Very funny."

He referred to his name – Beowulf - in jokes many times. It was made of two words, 'a bee' and 'a wolf', so it meant a honey-eating-wolf. In short: a bear.

 _Old languages are truly fascinating_ , she thought.

"Don't worry, you can rest on my lap as long as you want, Master. Bears are simple creatures. So I really enjoy little pleasures: eating, fighting, spending time with cute girls..."

"Punching them?" Aki thought she would regret saying this, but she just couldn't resist.

"Nah…" His smile widened dangerously. "There are much better things to do with cute girls."

"Shut up."

"Need some help, Master?" A calm but somehow cold voice came from the outside.

"No, Saber, thank you! I have everything under control."

"Good." But he didn't sound convinced. Aki could see the tip of his scaled tail in the doorway. It was moving quickly from side to side, like a tail of a very nervous – or maybe jealous? - cat. Something must have happened while she was asleep.

"Where's Diarmuid?" - she asked, realizing that the entire situation wouldn't be even possible with Lancer nearby. Usually he was guarding her like a mad dog. Convincing him that at least the bathroom is a safe place for Aki to go alone was a miracle.

 _Although he's_ _not the real dog here_. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts, imagining her shining king laughing at her later in another dream. _Dragons, bears and dogs… I live in a zoo. And you say they're your knights? Really?_

"Patrolling," Saber explained simply. "Caster said that his runes had shown some dangerous visitors approaching. We'll be prepared."

"Ah," Aki answered mechanically. What was this strange feeling? A foreboding or anticipation? "I'm sure you will."

She was also strangely sure that, after the visit of these unexpected guests, her life would never be the same anymore.

* * *

So, here's the beginning of a completely new story! I really would like to know what You think!

I want to explore the legends of many Servants in this one, even things not said in Fate directly. There will be many guest stars later, so, please, give Aki a chance!

Another chapter of "Rebellion Zero" is coming as well. There will be also at least two bonus chapters of "Another Time" soon, one dedicated to my dear friend hyperomegasonic26.

* * *

Some names, characters and ideas used in the story belong to their rightful owners, of course. ;)


	2. Sanctuary

First: Aki Emiya is not an obedient young lady.

Second: the main problem with AU is that many things need to be eplained at the beginning.

Third: the legend mentioned in this chapter is usually called "Diarmuid and the Loathly Lady". There's a song based on this story – 'Diarmuid' by Syr – which gives a nice Celtic vibes and is really worth listening to.

Fourth: don't hesitate to comment or contact me, I'm open to suggestions!

* * *

 **2: Sanctuary**

* * *

 _Being a nameless guy has some advantages_ , he thought while walking through the unusually silent corridors of the former Arena building.

As expected, no one gave a damn about a weakling in a red coat. Even his appearances on the Arena did not gather a large audience, unless his opponent was a famous Servant. Last time he was in the middle of a duel with Heracles when the blackout happened. The spectators panicked and Berserker vanished – no, he rather had been… pixelized - almost immediately. Archer himself had no pride, but he understood how humiliating it must be for a hero as famous as Heracles to become a mere gladiator. He was glad that their duel ended relatively quickly.

And now all Servants that survived the breakdown have been gathered here to find volunteers for the mission. They were mostly Archers and magi hoped that famous King of Heroes will help them solve all their problems.

 _Their desperation must be at least as big as this golden prankster's ego_. Archer smiled to himself at this ridiculous thought. It will be a miracle if Gilgamesh actually agrees to leave his room. Forcing him to go and rescue 'some mongrels' would probably need using of all his Command Seals at once. That would mean big troubles to his owners…

To be honest, Archer did not pity them at all. He did not care of his own Master, who was lying sick in the infirmary, with his circuits almost burnt out and no idea about the fact that his pacts with Servants were already severed. Before vanishing, Archer decided to investigate the situation only out of curiosity. And because of his natural talent to stick his nose into troubles of others, of course.

"They say that this new mage is a hot chick," said one of the technicians, who were guarding the useless communication centre. After forced reset the system seemed to function normally, but did not react to any human commands. It remained that way no matter how many times they changed configuration or rebooted it. The giant servers were completely cut off the real world.

"That crazy girl… Emiya, huh?"

 _Emiya?_ Archer frowned and changed into his spirit form to come closer.

"Yesss, a hot ginger, they say."

"Never trust gingers."

They talked like this for a while, but Archer quickly got bored and focused on his own thoughts.

 _Emiya… Hmmm_ …

He did not understand much from their - mostly meaningless - exchange of rumors, but one thing was certain.

"This is going to be really interesting."

* * *

Lancer stopped at the edge of the river and leaned on his red spear.

"It brings back memories."

Long ago Diarmuid stood just like this, unable to cross the stream, and waited for the Red Man of All Knowledge to guide him. It was his journey for redemption, to claim a magical healing cup and save the life of a woman who had suffered because of his ungratefulness. Diarmuid smiled to himself bitterly, realizing that it was almost like a journey to find the Grail.

 _No wonder that I became a Servant,_ he thought, thankful, that he did not remember all the wars he'd been summoned to participate in. To say that he was satisfied with his Master and companions, would be an understatement.

Diarmuid was happy to live here, probably in the last existing forest on this planet.

Their island was once a sacred land, famous of a giant red _torii_ standing at the beach. The old temple on the mountain served now as their home. It was small but had a great amount of ley lines and they needed nothing more. Other inhabitants of the island, mostly fishermen and farmers, were friendly and grateful that Aki and her Servants guard their homes, effectively discouraging developers, corporations and other companies ready to destroy everything for wealth.

Lancer smiled again, remembering the last time they went to village to help reorganize it after a storm. Even Kojiro came, although he declared that he's doing it only to get payment in sake. Beowulf and Siegfried sometimes went fishing to the open sea and their strength was a blessing for the fishermen in difficult times. Cú Chulainn used to do what all druids do – cure, give advices and solve strange problems. And Diarmuid himself, usually accompanied by Robin, did not miss any chance to go hunting before winter.

In short: in their sanctuary life was passing slowly but was full of good things. They were all determined to defend it if necessary.

Usually Aki's Servants used a very simple tactic to get rid of intruders. Caster's ability to create a territory and barriers around the forest was the first obstacle. Second was Archer's traps and poisoned arrows. Then, at the little _torii_ at the foot of the mountain, waited Assassin with his deadly sword (he had chosen this spot by himself, saying that it makes him feel 'strangely nostalgic'). Anyone skilled or lucky enough to enter the temple grounds would have to face three personal guards of Aki, with crazy bear being the first and angry dragon last of them.

This simple plan of defense was so effective that no one reached the first gate yet.

A little blue bird broke the chain of Diarmuid's thoughts with its chirping. It was a signal from Archer that visitors are allowed to enter their teritory.

Filled with bad feelings, Lancer sighed and rushed back home to his Master.

* * *

Rufus stroke his beard, strangely sure that he has never given longer speech in his entire life. He glanced at Harvey only to notice how miserable his assistant looks: covered in sweat, exhausted, and desperately trying to protect himself from a horde of ruthless mosquitoes.

It was even worse than they expected. The girl looked like a savage, small, ginger, with no elegance or pride in her movements. Only a peasant like her could live in this dirty place. Her Servants were a bunch of barbarians, who wore no collars or chips and wandered the island as they pleased!

But the worst was yet to come…

"We must discuss it first," Aki said, looking at her companions and clearly waiting for their approval.

Doctor Rufus couldn't stand it anymore.

"With all respect, young lady…" - he spat angrily. "Do you really intent to discuss such important matter with your tools? Does it mean that years spent in this wild place made you forget about manners and rules of magi? You want to make decisions based on babbling of a mass of pixels, bound together by magical energy?"

Her Servants tensed visibly. Siegfried slightly moved left, to block eventual charge of Berserker, and Diarmuid focused all his energy to suppress his anger. Such insult seemed simply unforgivable.

Aki appreciated their heroic efforts but did not manage to remain as calm as them.

"One more word and you better leave our property or I will tell Berserker where he can punch you." She did not growl or yell but was deadly serious. A dangerous flame, ginger like her hair, flickered in her eyes.

"In the chest." Beowulf gladly came to her aid, smiling viciously. "I like the sound of breaking ribs. It's a painful death, you're spitting blood for hours."

Rufus swallowed. If he ever wondered how scary a sane Berserker can be, he just got the answer.

"I SUGGEST you to wait outside for a while." The way Saber said it, politely but as cold as winter breeze, made both mages just shut up and listen.

"Ah, ah, ah! No smoking, please!" Cú Chulainn intervened immediately when Rufus reached for a cigarette. "We've been waiting for rain for a while, you know. You may set the entire forest on fire."

"Not to mention that smoking will make you even less manly than you already are," Assassin added quietly before entering the house.

"I told you it's a bad idea." Harvey focused on cleaning his glasses to hide how exhausted he is.

"I know, damn it!"

But they really had no other choice.

* * *

Beowulf shrugged.

"I'm a Servant, I will go where my Master goes. If there's something to fight, it will be nice."

"Berserker's right, we will follow you." Diarmuid stopped for a moment, visibly hesitant. "But I still think that we cannot trust them. First we need to know as much as possible."

"What will happen to this place when we depart?" – Archer asked the question that bothered them all.

They fell silent for a while, overwhelmed by doubts. What if someone destroys the forest during their absence? Or bullies villagers? Will they still have a home to return?

"I can stay here," Assassin declared after a moment. He did not even look at them, just stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. "I'm really good at guarding places."

"No, you can't!" The way Aki said it made them all smile. "We're in it together or not at all. I will rather force them to promise that they will protect the island. Even with confirmation written with their blood. Or with geas if necessary. They offered us payment after all."

"So you've already decided?" Caster was tossing a little rune stone in his hand.

"Not yet. I want to know your opinion first. Siegfried?"

All Servants waited for Saber's decision. He was not their official leader or anything, but they respected his advices. His calm demeanor and tactical mind could actually rival that of Caster. If they both agrees to something, it's usually a good choice.

"What the King of Knights has to say?"

That was unexpected. They'd been told not to bother their king needlessly, because the cost of bringing him out was too heavy for Aki's organism to bear it. Yet Siegfried, well aware of this fact, decided that they need help.

"I don't even have to contact him to know the answer." Aki rolled her eyes and poked Saber in the forehead. When she spoke, she sounded almost like her very first Servant: _"You're an idiot to ask for my guidance, you should follow your heart instead, Dragon Slayer."_

Even Diarmuid chuckled at these words. Siegfried sighed, then spoke again, visibly calmer.

"I heard that first organization was built to save the world, not for business or entertainment. I think we have a chance, one for a million, to restore its original purpose. To give it back its meaning and remind everyone what heroes are for."

Aki was too moved to comment, so she only shook her head in agreement.

"Sooooo, I'll help with packing," said Robin and rushed to Aki's room.

"Me too." Assassin followed him with a thin smile on his face.

"And I'll prepare a nasty curse, just in case. I won't let them lie to my Master." Cú Chulainn winked cheerfully.

They were all so full of energy… It made the girl sure that she had chosen the right path for them.

 _Did you hear that, Saber? Do you think that I will become a hero?_

Her – their –magic circuits gleamed with a warm, golden light. At this moment, shorter than a blink of an eye, Aki Emiya knew that the King of Knights was smiling to her.


	3. Departure

First: Thank You very much for all comments, favs, follows and kind words – they really help me to keep going!

Second: chapter titles are made from single words for a reason. ;)

Third: I hope You are ready for the real chaos to be unleashed, because it's happening right now.

So... here we go.

* * *

 **3: Departure**

* * *

"Really? They murdered someone for a relic?" Archer blinked, not believing his own eyes.

Having nothing better to do, he decided to make some research in the old archives. He did not find much about the girl named Aki, except a report about her vanishing Saber, but a short note about her parents made the blood in his veins boil.

They were murdered by the member of one of the three great families. It was a classical robbery. Of course no one had been punished, because of 'money and status' reason. That, too, was typical for magicians from this and any other era.

 _What kind of relic could be worth killing for?_

Archer frowned. Being from Emiya family himself, he suspected which treasure was the reason of this tragedy. He will know for sure when he meets the girl personally.

"I just need to hold on a little longer," he murmured, glancing at his own clenched fist. The energy was leaving his material body, slowly but steadily, like a blue mist steaming into the air. "I'm not going to miss the show."

* * *

"Could you please stop?!"

Berserker ignored Harvey's complaints and kept poking the hologram. It looked more or less like a Rubik's Cube, but blue and not regular on the surface.

"What is it anyway?"

"A visualization of the main processor. We call it Moon Cell."

"Why? Is it from the Moon?"

"No, it's only a name. It symbolizes reaching the Moon, you know, like the ultimate achievement of humanity." Harvey sighed. "Why do I even bother to explain this to a Servant? And to a Berserker in particular?"

"What you are doing now is called 'good manners', glasses-wearer." Caster smiled widely. "The easiest way to know someone's character is to watch how he treats unimportant and weaker people, they say."

"Wait!" Beowulf crossed his arms. "Did you just say that I'm a weaker person than THAT guy?"

"You're not even a person anymore, Berserker." Cú Chulainn's fingers tapped a strange rhythm on the surface of the table.

"Oh."

"That was harsh," Assassin commented with a wicked smile.

"Please don't touch it!" Harvey sounded more and more desperate with every passing minute. "And I have a name, I'm not a 'glasses-wearer'!"

"It's a nickname, invented to honor your achievements. It's common among heroes of old," Caster explained, so politely that it actually sounded suspicious.

"Glasses-wearer sounds almost as proud as Dragon Slayer!" Archer tried hard to not chuckle while saying it.

"It doesn't." Even Saber joined their little mocking competition. "Should be more… poetic, I think."

"Hmm, a poetic way to describe glasses? Maybe 'double eyes shining like two pools in the starless night'?" - Assassin asked, pretending to be serious.

"Very nice," Lancer said with a smile. "At least you didn't compare them to bowls of sake."

"Hey, Master, what are the achievements of bureaucrats of this modern era?" Beowulf did not like leaving such important problems unsolved. "We will give our host a fitting nickname."

"Miss Emiya, can you order your Servants to change into spirit forms? Or at least to shut up for a while?"

Aki rolled her eyes. So she was 'Miss Emiya' now? What a progress from being 'Miss Nobody' before signing the contract! For a moment she regretted that she'd forgot to add 'no stupid questions and demands' point to their agreement.

It was a long and tiring journey to get there, mostly because of never-ending investigation. _What is your magic specialization? What happened to your first Saber? Why didn't you participate in tournaments?_ They slowed down a little only because Diarmuid has a real talent to fiercely defend 'the honor and comfort of Lady Emiya'. A slap of Saber's tail – he apologized and assured that it was an accident, of course – was needed to make them stop for good.

But it seemed that now Harvey was ready for another round of investigating. Aki was determined to avoid any long conversation at all cost.

"You don't need to guard us here, just call us when the tubes will be ready. Don't worry, we won't demolish the room," she added with a sigh when Harvey glanced at Siegfried.

'It was his fault for tormenting my Master with useless babble' – said Saber's expression, when he secretly winked to Aki in the prolonging silence.

Harvey decided to listen to their suggestion and left the guests alone in the conference room. No one spoke or even moved, except Beowulf, who clearly couldn't resist the temptation to poke the Moon Cell hologram again.

"So, basically they will tear our bodies into tiny pieces and then form them back inside the system?" Archer stood next to Berserker to take a closer look at the blue cube.

"That's what they said."

"And you are not afraid, Master?" Diarmuid tried to be even more supportive than usual. The girl found it cute and smiled.

"I am. But I also feel excited. Strange, isn't it? We may die or end trapped inside the virtual reality, with no possibility to return…"

Berserker suddenly came up to Aki and gave her a hug with one arm. A very delicate hug, surprisingly gentle for a guy with posture and strength of a bear.

"Every good journey is like that." Hearing it from someone, who crossed the sea just to slay another country's monster with his bare hands, was really… encouraging? "And returning is not always the best option."

Aki let the words hang in the air between them for a while. It seemed that they all agreed with Berserker and were ready for everything their upcoming journey may bring.

* * *

Archer, in his spirit form, was observing the departure, hidden in the control room, just behind the back of Doctor Rufus.

 _"_ _Scanning: completed. Visuals loaded. Abnormality detected. Energy flow: disturbed. Shape of canals: abnormal. Double circuits at the edge of the crest."_

"So this is why her first Saber vanished?" Rufus lighted up a cigarette and glanced at his watch. "What a failure, almost like a hair with split ends."

Archer was not in the mood for commenting the incompetence of this impudent magus. Even his level of Clairvoyance was enough to tell that large and powerful circuits of Aki Emiya are not hers alone. He suspected that the girl can't use their full potential, but it was quite impressive anyway. He personally knew at least two skilled and powerful magicians who could discover this fact without using advanced machinery. All these so-called scientists here were just pathetic.

 _"_ _Procedure completed. Disintegration of the objects begins in three, two, one…"_

"Did you give her the device?" Harvey stared blankly at the tubes through the one-way mirror.

"Of course." Something in the tone of doctor's voice alarmed Archer. Rufus showed his assistant a tiny green jewel. "But they will have to find a prism to activate it. It was too dangerous to let them use the tunnel with a power source already equipped."

 _Huh?_ Archer's mind froze for a moment. It was just unbelievable. How will they find such prism inside the system? How will they go back without it? _I'm sure you didn't tell them… Right, I remember now. You removed the jewel when the girl didn't look at you! So this is what you've planned from the very beginning, son of a…_

Waves of buzzing energy came through the tubes to open the interdimensional tunnel.

 _"_ _Activation completed. Do not enter the teleportation area. Ten, nine..."_

Doctor Rufus almost swallowed his own cigarette when a cold steel suddenly touched his throat.

"Don't dare to move. I would gladly cut your throat, but I need someone to operate this machinery." A cold, cruel voice made both magi freeze and curse their inability to sense Servants. "Now give me the jewel."

"You don't understand the risk… Aaaagh!"

 _"…_ _six, five…"_

"I have no time for your bullshit. The jewel. Now."

Bleeding from a nasty wound on his face, Rufus did not resist anymore. The jewel disappeared from his hand, and a blade that had cut him vanished a moment later.

Then the mirror shattered into countless shards, which fell on his head like a sudden rain.

* * *

"Master, are you alright?"

Someone lifted Aki from the ground. She felt dizzy. It was so noisy around… men, horses, sounds of clashing weapons.

 _What in the… Is this a battlefield or something?_

It was. They materialized in the centre of a battlefield. One fraction looked like some kind of horse-riding barbarians. The other was…

 _Legionnaires_ _of_ t _he Roman Empire? So maybe these are the Huns conquering Rome?_

She looked at the huge fortress not so far away from their current location. It didn't look at all like a typical building of Ancient Rome, rather like a weird castle from medieval fantasy. Something was clearly out of place here.

"Berserker, we need some space!" Siegfried's natural ability to lead troops must have awaken. He and Caster already proceeded with their improvised battle tactics.

"Naegling, Hrunting!" Beowulf smiled widely, now fully equipped and ready to fight. "Take that! Oraaaaaa!"

One swing of Naegling was enough to push back the nearest riders along with their terrified horses. Now Aki understood what was the real advantage of using this strange, blunt weapon. It should be called 'a horse slayer" rather than a sword.

Despite the dust, it was much easier to breathe and think now. All Servants took the most favorable positions, keeping Aki safe inside an impenetrable circle. She tried to not to get in their way, well aware of the fact that it was not yet a time for her to take action. She could barely feel her connection to the King of Knights, with her body and circuits still in shock after the journey.

 _Being a material ghost must be much more convenient in such circumstances_ , she thought.

"Easy, guys," Caster said after a while. He clearly had fun, using rather his staff than spells in battle. "We don't know which side of the conflict we should support, so try not to kill too many."

"Are they even people?" Robin found a perfect spot for himself between Saber and Berserker and did a great job guarding their backs. "We've been sent back in time or into the system?"

"No idea." Diarmuid was like a deadly hurricane, his spears never missed their target. He was used to fight in a crowd, just like Saber and Caster. "They scream and bleed, it's hard to tell. But I can sense powerful Servants nearby."

"We should move… somewhere, somehow." Assassin noticed a commotion on the left. "Something dangerous is coming."

Indeed, the barbarian army dispersed suddenly, forming a corridor on the battlefield. It was easy to tell, mostly from the enthusiastic reaction of the troops, that their mighty leader is approaching.

"At-ti-la! At-ti-la!" – the Huns – Aki was now sure who they are – shouted ecstatically, like calling out to some kind of a mounted war god.

"What a fine woman…" It was not typical for Berserker to stare at someone like that in the middle of a battle.

"And a fine Servant," Siegfried commented; a strange nostalgia sounded in his voice.

"Such powerful aura… She must be a Saber," Aki said with her eyes wide open. She has never seen anyone like that before. The woman was stunningly beautiful, with her tanned body covered in strange tattoos, but in the most dangerous way possible. This Servant was cold, proud and deadly, like an avatar of destruction.

"We should retreat. Now." Robin insisted on moving to a safer place while no one really cared about their presence. To be honest, the sole fact, that they were ignored, was highly suspicious. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Where should we go?"

"Away from her rainbow sword."

Aki did not intent to ignore Archer's instincts. They proceeded in a great hurry to move as far as possible from the centre of this mysterious conflict.

The warriors around them completely ignored the running party. Another strange thing: they not only looked, but also smelled like real people, just their behavior was unnatural.

Aki did not have more time to think about it. The real chaos was about to be unleashed.

"Can you hear me, Nero Claudius?!" Somehow the voice of the tanned Saber echoed through the entire battlefield. Another suspicious fact to notice. "I don't care if you come out to meet me or not. I'm here to destroy your civilization!"

 _Whoa, slow down for a moment!_ Aki's mind almost exploded. _Shouldn't Nero Claudius be already dead? What's happening here? Where the hell are we?_

"She's firing her Noble Phantasm?" Siegfried frowned, watching a scarlet beam which emanated from Attila's sword. The energy reached the sky and seemed to tear it apart… "What's the range of this attack? Maybe Balmung can block it."

"Stop staring at her like an idiot, run!" Assassin wasn't ready for such experiments.

"No chance, I'm afraid that we're still too close!" A pure desperation sounded in Lancer's voice.

"Let's try this!" Caster's fingers were moving faster than the eye can see, writing runes in the air to create a barrier, but he already knew he won't make it on time.

"Hold on, Master." Siegfried held Aki tight to protect her with his own dragon skin.

"No, we should rather…!" - she wanted to protest, but couldn't move in his strong grip.

"Here it comes!"

In the chaos of explosion, through blinding light and unspeakable noise, Aki could see only a single red silhouette with a flower shield spreading from its stretched out hand.


	4. Plans

First: thank You for comments and other kind of support. I'm happy to know Your opinions.

Second: I'm really curious which Servants You want to see in this story. I have some surprises prepared already, but I'm open to suggestions.

So… let's start the next chapter!

* * *

 **4: Plans**

* * *

Her head was heavy and vision blurred. _What's actually happened?_

"You fainted," Arthur explained, gently holding her hand, like checking the pulse. It must have been one of his old habits, because they both were like ghosts here. It was a meaningless gesture, but at least proved that he cared.

"Why?"

"Because I fed that red Archer class Servant with all our mana to make the shield work."

Aki needed a while to refresh her memories. Her brain must have used all sugar from her blood, because even such simple task was now too difficult for her.

"He's an Archer with a magical shield, huh? How unusual… So we have another Servant?"

"It's more like a temporary pact. I'm sorry for deciding all by myself."

"No need. I trust your judgment." She took a deep breath, thinking. "And this strange Servant saved us, giving him energy in exchange seems fair enough."

"Ah, he's not a bad guy, you'll see." Something in Saber's eyes really troubled Aki. Her shinning prince was usually much more playful and optimistic. Now a strange shade crossed his face, like a shame or guilt.

"You had a nice long chat already?" The King of Knights only nodded. "So… it means that he could actually see you?" Aki blinked, utterly surprised. Her connection with Saber was special and complicated, not even the girl herself knew how it truly works. And this mysterious Servant in red saw through it just like that? "How?"

"Don't look at me like that. I don't know everything, I'm not Merlin." Arthur chuckled to hide his embarrassment. "Now wake up and fear not, Master. Trust your Servants, they will carry you through this mess."

"I know." Aki smiled. "But I won't just sit and let them do my job."

"Of course." He tilted his head and smiled, this time cheerfully. "Otherwise I wouldn't be so hopelessly attached to you."

Arthur watched with worried expression how his Master is leaving the realm of dreams. He had a lot to think over after his short but fierce verbal confrontation with the red Archer. His accusations still echoed in Saber's mind.

 _"No one knows how it will end for her."_

 _"Every twisted 'hero' says so. Countless young men and women fall into this trap, then end with regrets and their hands stained with blood."_

 _"But some of them reach the end they wished for and regret nothing."_

 _"Don't make me laugh…"_

 _"You should speak with our Dragon Slayer. He's a walking proof that this is not a completely unreachable goal."_

 _"Oh? It's rather an exception that proves the rule."_

 _"We'll finish this conversation later, Aki's waking up."_

 _"I see." Archer smiled viciously. "You're not yet ready to have your ideals spat in your face, I can understand that."_

Arthur remained silent, not only because he considered their conversation finished, but also because he had no idea what to say. What kind of life this Heroic Soul must have had to became so frustrated and broken? Will Aki share the same cruel fate?

No, he won't ever let this happen. Who would he, the Wielder of the Holy Blade, be if he couldn't save his own Master?

* * *

Aki opened her eyes. She didn't expect to see such an idyllic landscape.

The smell of grass hit her nostrils. Birds were singing in the nearby forest. The sky was blue and calm, a few swallows raced through the endless blue, knowing no war or troubles.

Aki's Servants, including the newest Archer, gathered around the fire. She was surprised how well they seem to get along… or maybe they just refrained from arguing to not wake her up?

As expected, Diarmuid was first to notice that his Master is awake. She was grateful for a water he gave her – and surprised how well they organized this little camp. She will certainly ask them about it later, but first…

"Thank you for help, Archer." She smiled gently, ready to make new friends. "I'm Aki Emiya. And you are...?"

The white-haired man stared at her with an enigmatic expression. Not knowing why, under the weight of his gaze, she felt like she's been brought to trial.

"Hmm."

"That's all you have to say to your new Master?" Lancer frowned, visibly enraged by such rude behavior.

"What did you expect me to say, spear wielder? That girl is nothing more than a mana donor for now, she must prove her worth to become my true Master."

Diarmuid clearly wanted to say something, but Aki managed to stop him on time.

"A simple 'hello' would be nice, I guess." She did not look offended. Two years of dealing with some extremely stubborn Heroic Spirits were enough to learn how to be patient. Actually Caster said something similar at the beginning of their cooperation.

"Well, 'hello' then." Somehow it sounded like an insult. "I have no name important enough to be remembered, now or ever." The Servant in red looked the girl in the eye, like challenging her. "You don't need to like me or even trust me. We stuck in this mess together by accident and we must cooperate to get out of it, that's all."

"Oh? You have not enough honor to even tell us your true name?" Diarmuid was truly hopeless in his stubbornness.

"Let it go, Lancer." Caster did not even open his eyes, stretched comfortably near the fire. "Not every Heroic Spirit has a name and this guy has no reason to lie. He saved us, what do you want more?"

"To know his motivation, of course!" Diarmuid did not intent to trust the intruder so easily. He was like that with every new Servant summoned by Aki, so they had time to get used to this kind of behavior. Still…

"I thought that protecting mortals is a duty of a Servant." Siegfried tried to stop this meaningless exchange, he seemed tired of the noise. "The reason why someone risks his own life to save others is rather obvious, don't you think?"

"Maybe he has some kind of grudge against our Master and saved her only to kill her later?" Lancer frowned, suspicious, but the red Archer only chuckled at this nonsense.

"That would be stupid." Berserker threw a stick into the fire. "Who would do such thing?"

"Lancer certainly would." Assassin was more than sure about it. "I can bet he already did something like protecting an enemy to have a fair duel with him later."

"So what? It's about chivalry, I don't expect that Assassin would understand. But Archer is one of the three knight classes…"

"Hey, I have enough of your quarrels!" Aki did not like the fact that her quiet protests were completely ignored. "You're a bunch of stubborn, troublesome jerks, ugh!"

"I'm not sure how to put it, Master…" Kojiro gave her a wide, angelic smile. "But they say that you can summon only Servants who are compatible with you."

"Shut up, all of you! And tell me what happened."

"With all respect, Master – do you want us to be quiet or talk?"

"You really don't know when to stop, Assassin?" Siegfried sighed. "So… that Noble Phantasm wiped out both armies. Only Servants remained on the battlefield."

"Yes!" Surprisingly, Beowulf volunteered to continue the report. "And a cute girl in red started to sing. It was awful. Then there was a guy who looked like a walking column. And a fat guy with a sword. They shouted something about protecting 'Roma' and the battle ended. I guess that Saber with a rainbow blade just couldn't stand those freaks anymore, so she left."

Aki looked around to search answers on the faces of other Servants. Letting a Berserker do the storytelling was clearly not a good idea.

"Actually this is exactly what happened," Diarmuid explained with a weird expression. "Anyway, we did some research, Master."

"We don't know yet the reason of the war between two Sabers and their armies, but we at least checked the surroundings." Siegfried came closer to show Aki a map. They prepared it on a scrap of material when she was asleep. "Here's the fortress they call 'Roma', and here's the field where the battle took place. There, near the river, the Huns have their camp. We're here, near the forest, Robin went out on a patrol to check this area further."

"But we still don't know where 'here' actually is, do we?"

All Servants shook their heads, having no idea into what kind of reality the magical machinery has thrown them. Aki wondered for a while if this is the right moment to contact Doctor Rufus, but didn't truly want to do it. Knowing the ways of magi, the girl was sure that they will demand results, not offer advices.

"Yo! Good to see you awake, Master." Robin appeared out of nowhere (they never really got used to his invisibility and he seemed to have fun by making them shiver in surprise) and threw an apple to Aki. "There's a village behind this forest, it seems that this strange war haven't reached it somehow. Everything seems normal, food is edible and water fresh, but…"

Aki bit an apple. It was sweet and as juicy as it looked but… Something was different, even odd. It tasted like a fruit made by someone who learned everything he could about apples, but has never truly seen or eaten one.

"It's somehow different," Assassin finished Robin's thought, staring at the sky. "Look at the swallows, Master. They may look normal at first glance but a pattern of their movements is wrong. Trust me, no one knows more about flying swallows."

They kept observing the birds for a while, little black boomerangs on the sky. Siegfried sighed, feeling that simply standing like that will lead them nowhere.

"You noticed anything unusual, Archer?" – he asked, pragmatic as always. "No enemies nearby? No sign of other Masters?"

"Nothing. I found a stray kitten, that's all," he said, then looked questioningly at Caster. "So what's the plan?"

Cú Chulainn gave them his most wild smile, which makes him look like a mad dog, ready to bite.

"We're going to split up and infiltrate their camps."

* * *

She didn't expect to meet a new Servant in her forest.

They didn't really meet, to be honest, she just felt his presence nearby. For the first time since she's been summoned to this strange reality, she couldn't spot the intruder. He smelled like a creature of the forest, although he wasn't partially a beast like her. She got excited about the fact, that she finally met a talented rival - and almost left her hideout on the branch to challenge him openly to archery duel. Whoever this scout was, he was almost as skilled as her.

 _Almost._ The huntress smiled to herself and jumped down from the tree, nimble like a wild cat. _Maybe he's impressive for a human, but no one will ever reach my level._

The mysterious Servant probably only looked around and quickly left the forest, harmless like a shadow. She didn't follow him out of her territory, there was no need to do so. The children of this village are under her protection, so she must stay nearby. Any Servant who wants to hurt the little ones will be eliminated.

Walking the narrow path to the village, she spotted some ripe berries. She smiled, knowing that her small blonde friend will be happy to eat them.

* * *

"The Roman Empire wanted to destroy druids and I am, technically, a druid," Caster explained, lighting up a cigarette. Aki wondered how he managed to take some with him into the interdimensional tunnel. "Joining the army of the enemy of my enemy seems only natural. But I need a 'token of friendship' for their leader."

"Like what?"

"Like them." Caster looked at Berserker and Lancer. "Every commander during an important campaign needs fine warriors. And that skinny Attila looked like a very experienced commander."

Aki rolled her eyes, suspecting that Caster has chosen this side of conflict to join only because that almost naked Saber caught his eye. Berserker, too, looked happy to meet her again. Only Lancer did not disappoint his Master in this matter.

"I must refuse!" Diarmuid could not even imagine the possibility of leaving Aki's side. "Better take Saber with you, he looks much stronger than me."

"No." Caster inhaled a cigarette. "Siegfried will be our special gift to the emperor."

"And why is that?" Saber crossed his arms, not quite happy that his fate is being decided without even asking his opinion.

"Because Emperors of Rome usually like strange creatures and are known to collect them. They will not resist the temptation to have a dragon in their zoo."

For the first time since they met Aki could actually see Siegfried speechless. His expression was so hilarious, that Assassin laughed at loud.

"I'm not an animal, you know…" Even Saber's tail dangled sadly. Aki gave him a friendly pat on the head.

"We know," she assured, but kept petting him like a favorite dog (Diarmuid looked a little jealous, which made Kojiro laugh even harder). "But, considering how… weird… Servants in the castle act, it may work."

"I still think that splitting up is not a good idea." Lancer helplessly shook his head.

"Do you have a better one?" Beowulf got bored already, he obviously preferred fighting over talking.

"This plan sounds logical enough," the nameless Servant said after a moment of heavy silence. "And we, as natural scouts, will be able to provide the flow of information between both groups." He glanced at Robin and his fellow Archer confirmed with a nod.

"But still… there will be questions," Aki noticed. "We must prepare a good explanation why we are even here."

"We'll tell them the truth." Everyone looked at Siegfried, surprised by his advice. "Well, partially. They must have been sent here by the system or whatever, just like us, right? We'll say that we'd found ourselves in the middle of their fight and we don't know what to do next."

"And you think that they will just explain everything to us?"

"At least their point of view, yes."

"There's always a possibility that they'll just kill you," said the red Archer, mostly to restrain their optimism, but also to check their reaction.

"Like we'll ever let them." Siegfried, Beowulf and Diarmuid together sounded like a weird choir. EMIYA smiled to himself, thinking how easy they're to provoke. Heroes who trust in their physical strength and fighting skills are so predictable that it's hopeless. Just like a certain golden-haired Saber girl he had met so long ago…

 _What a funny bunch… No wonder they're all gathered around you, King of Knights._ EMIYA's thoughts were running wild for a while. _You are you and not you at the same time. I guess it can't be helped. It seems that every Emiya gets a Pendragon he - or she - deserves._

But what does it really mean? Such ideal knight must be a fake, right? So the one who'd summoned him is a faker as well…

Archer sighed internally. The little prism rested hidden in his pocket, he had absolute control over this situation. And a lot of time to decide if this particular member of Emiya lineage is another complete failure or a valuable individual, worth being summoned back to the real world.


	5. Roma

First: I'm very sorry for the delay, but I lost all my notes (my PC died from the heat) and had to write the entire chapter again… It was frustrating, believe me.

Second: thank You for comments, PM's and wonderful ideas – they help me a lot!

Third: new characters are coming. Here we go!

* * *

 **5: Roma**

* * *

Getting into the fortress was easier than they expected.

Their little party split up and both groups left the camp at dawn. The nameless Archer led Aki, Saber and Assassin to the castle (he already knew the shortcut) as far as he could. When the guards appeared, he changed into spirit form to watch over his provisional Master from the shadows. The girl had to admit that, despite knowing this strange Servant for less than twenty hours, she felt much safer when he guarded her back.

"We came to see your emperor," she said to the guardians with all her courage and dignity of a Master.

Surprisingly, the Roman soldiers only nodded mechanically and showed them the way, acting like some strange robots, not human beings.

"They're like people in the background of a video game," Kojiro said at loud what they all were thinking.

"You mean NPCs?" Aki considered it for a while and frowned, still suspicious.

"Exactly."

"So we're inside the system, as planned?" Siegfried wasn't so sure about it.

"It seems so." Assassin sighed. "But you two don't look convinced."

"Because I'm not made of… pixels… or whatever I should be made of here," Aki explained. "I have a material body, food and water is real as well. It shouldn't be possible inside a video game or any other kind of virtual reality."

"Well, maybe other Masters know more about the situation?"

"Maybe."

The guards at the gates also let them in without a word. Inside the fortress looked like something between coliseum and strange golden theater. There were no more 'NPCs' on the corridor, but an aura of powerful Servants became stronger.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Siegfried tried hard not to grab his sword, he was clearly fighting his instincts. "It's like in a dragon's cave."

"I know." Aki felt that too – they entered not a normal building, but rather a kind of magical field, similar to a Reality Marble. _Maybe it's a Noble Phantasm… maybe more than one?_ "But, please, try to be calm and nice, ok?" She turned to Kojiro. "Especially you, Assassin. Your mean comments are forbidden until further notice."

"Don't you think it's too cruel, Master?" The samurai rolled his eyes. "You order me to act against my nature. Not to mention that it will be extremely boring!"

"Well, deal with it. It's still better than cutting off your tongue."

"Master!"

"Quiet. We entered the throne room or something."

Indeed, they saw a big golden throne on a podium, and two smaller on the sides. Three Servants mentioned by Berserker were really here and Aki had to admit that Beowulf described them better than it seemed.

The overweight Saber spoke first, raising a cup in his hand in a welcoming toast.

"Well, well… what do we have here? A cutie, a dragon and a man in a bathrobe." Aki wasn't sure if he wanted to provoke them or was just drunk. "Welcome to Roma!"

"Roma!" – added the Servant on the left, a Lancer. Aki blinked, surprised. He was the oldest Heroic Spirit she has seen so far.

"Umu! It's been some time since we had guests." The last emperor, with the most magnificent aura of the three, smiled to them and Aki couldn't resist to read her stats. She didn't seem to be a real danger for her own Saber, at least at first glance - it made the girl strangely proud. "Welcome!" But the blonde was just… irresistibly cute. One look at her own Servants told Aki that they share her opinion on this subject. "I bet you came to join us. Should I rather greet you with a song then?"

"I'm not sure it's a good way to gain allies," said the fat Saber and somehow it sounded very diplomatic.

"Roma! We are Rome!"

While Assassin was watching them with amusement, Siegfried whispered to Aki's ear:

"Master, they're even weirder than we suspected. Shouldn't we retreat while we still can?"

The girl sighed, sure that it will be a very long and difficult conversation.

* * *

"Have you heard that, King of Heroes?" Carmilla seemed to float in the air when she entered the former cafeteria near the closed Arena building. After the breakdown she looked healthier - and happier - than ever before. Her Master must have let her bathe in blood how much she wants recently. "The table in the conference room blew up and almost killed that bearded bastard, Rufus."

Two more Servants were already inside, a purple-haired Rider and a very young Archer dressed like a cowboy - a very unusual company for Gilgamesh, but still better than sitting alone in his room and getting bored to death.

"First he's been cut in the face by that nameless Archer, now he's fallen into a trap. Guy has no luck recently."

"I'm sure he deserved it," Medusa said, playing with her incredibly long hair.

No one denied it; for some reasons Doctor Rufus and his stiff assistant were not very popular with Servants.

"It must have been that Caster in blue robe." Billy the Kid chuckled, imagining the face of Rufus when the table exploded. "You said you'd seen him drawing something there before their departure, Rider?"

"Yes." Although Medusa did not laugh openly, they could hear a bit of amusement in her voice. "He was writing the signs right under Harvey's nose."

"Oh? Runes that activate under certain circumstances…" Even Gilgamesh smiled. "Clever."

"It's a shame we had no occasion to talk." Archer sighed. "Where did they send them anyway? Will they come back?"

"Who knows?" Carmilla reached for the fan. No one even bothered to fix the air-conditioner in this place. Mages who depend on technology are pathetic. "Only idiots would let a bunch of incompetent magi send them into oblivion."

"Or heroes."

"Heroes usually ARE idiots, dear Billy." The vampire lady smiled with superiority.

Gilgamesh ended their discussion with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I heard that the old engine was invented by a secret organization to perform time travels," he said and materialized some wine to share with his companions. "Anyway, the stupidity of modern mages is unbelievable. First they connected a prototype of new kind of artificial intelligence with a magical core far more powerful than a typical Holy Grail. Then they fed it with information about legendary heroes and countless battle data from the Arena. And now gave it the possibility to travel through time. No surprise that the System cut itself off, it's already self-sufficient and doesn't need any stupid humans to give it orders."

"You're well informed, King of Heroes." Carmilla smiled, despite the fact that his theory seemed rather scary than funny.

"Hah!" Gilgamesh's expression said it all. "No one here dares to refuse when I ask for information."

"Weren't they afraid to mix technologies?" Medusa understood the danger of this situation. "Could something more than a table blow up here?"

"I have nothing against blowing up the main Arena before they reopen it." Billy shrugged.

"You think they will?"

"Maybe?" Archer sighed, nonchalantly tossing his gun in one hand. "I bet that very few Servants actually liked those duels. I don't miss them, to be honest. But we don't have anything better to do now."

"As the only survivors we're too precious to be damaged or lost, they'll leave us alone." Carmilla sounded proud of that fact. "It's almost like being masterless."

"But is it really a good thing for a Servant?"

A heavy silence filled the room, none of them even tried to find the answer.

Gilgamesh, though, had another reason to remain silent. Even as ugly as people made it, the world was still his garden, and letting some incompetent mages ruin it seemed not funny for the King of Heroes.

If the system really worked like Archer suspected, it may become a powerful tool in the hands of a talented gardener.

* * *

Aki quickly realized that Caster's plan has been based on wrong assumptions.

Siegfried's dragon features were not the main attraction, although the emperors could not refrain from commenting (poor Saber deserved a medal for remaining calm, the girl will surely reward his patience later). Assassin, too, has been ignored relatively quickly. It seemed that Aki is the one the Roman Servants desired the most.

They said that there's no other Master in this strange world. Aki's presence was called 'a blessing' by Nero, 'a singularity' by Ceasar and 'a sign from heavens' by Romulus (Siegfried warned the girl mentally that this topic may be dangerous, so she let it go for now). Then the emperors explained that they were summoned by some kind of unnamed force and that the land itself gives them magical energy.

"It wasn't very nice," the red Saber said, touching her chest like her heart was still aching from emotional injury. "Having no Master, no orders or purpose…"

"But why are you fighting the Huns?" – Aki asked, trying to solve at least the part of the puzzle.

"We're not fighting. We're simply defending our civilization and beliefs. Attila is the one who came to destroy us."

"And why is that?" – Siegfried, too, was determined to understand what's going on here.

"You may go and ask her yourself." Caesar laughed, although it didn't seem very funny. "We tried, more than once. Last time our messenger returned in four pieces, and every one of them was tied to another horse."

"How sweet," Assassin commented quietly and chuckled, when Aki gave him a warning look.

"We built this fortress from nothingness and tried to bring the light of civilization into these wild lands, but the Huns came to trample our hard work like it's nothing." Aki was sure that Nero is just overdramatic. "It's hard to express, even for me, how grateful we are that you decided to join us and lend us your cute Master!"

"Huh?" Siegfried blinked, not sure how to react for such open provocation.

"Well, actually…" Aki needed a moment to choose the right words. "We would like to know as much as we can before we decide. We're certainly not your enemies, but we still feel a little lost in this unexpected situation."

"Umu." Nero smiled. "You came here to seek shelter and we give you what you want. But I'm afraid that the war will find you sooner than expected, no matter if you're ready or not."

There was something strange in her gaze, like a silent threat hidden behind the hospitality and politeness. A sign that she won't let Aki leave so easily…

"Roma?" Lancer looked at Nero questioningly.

"You're right, Romulus. This is exactly what we should do."

"Roma!"

Assassin rolled his eyes, amazed how they're able to understand each other like this.

"And you, Ceasar?"

"I'm just going to eat and drink until I'll forget about all your problems," he answered honestly, pouring wine into cups. "You know, usual stuff."

"If you have to…" Nero sighed, then stood up with her usual enthusiasm and raised her hand into the air, like announcing a performance. "Umu! So it's decided! Tomorrow, using the full strength of our new allies, we will attack the enemy camp!"

* * *

Atalanta watched with a smile how the berries disappear one by one in Saber's mouth. Mordred ate them with haste, like a very small child, but it was nice to see her enjoying little pleasures like this.

"What?" The blonde said, after she swallowed the last berry. "I have juice on my face?"

"No." Atalanta chuckled. "I'm just glad that you enjoy your meal, Mo-chan. I have more if you want."

"Really?! That's great!"

It was the youngest possible version of that particular Saber, which meant also the purest and most idealistic one. Archer was happy that she had a chance to meet her. If not Mordred's charismatic speech, she would probably still wander alone in the forest, like a wild, masterless beast.

After being summoned to this world, Mordred quickly understood the situation, decided to not join the war and claimed that the village belongs to her now. Under her rule it became a neutral, peaceful area, open to any lost Heroic Spirit who has no interest in the conflict between Roman Servants and the Huns.

Atalanta smiled to her memories and sat on the grass next to Saber, sharing the last berries with her.

"I can see that something's worrying you," she said after a while. "What's happened?"

"The village elders want to give me the fifth part of their harvest as a payment for our protection."

"And what's the problem?"

"I'm not sure I should accept it."

Archer sighed.

"It's a gift, a token of gratitude, not taxes or anything forced on them, right? It would be rude to not accept it," she explained. "The villagers follow and respect you because they want to. It's enough to tell that you're a good leader, Mo-chan."

"Of course! They can sense a true king, hah!" Although there was boldness in Saber's voice, she nervously rubbed her head, like trying to hide her embarrassment. "Anyway, what about that scout?"

"He left." Atalanta shrugged, clearly not interested. "As long as he stays away from the village, I'm not concerned."

"I see." Mordred laid down on the grass, with her arms crossed behind her head. The sky was so blue and peaceful today, that it would be a sin to not relax a little. "Maybe he's not alone? And his group may soon decide to join the war…"

"You told me that it's not our business until they keep their petty fights away of the forest, right?"

"Yes." Mordred sighed. "But I'm not so sure anymore."

Archer did not have to say anything, she understood well the doubts of her friend. The war can't last forever. No matter which fraction wins, it will be the beginning of hegemony.

"To care of stones on the roadside," Mordred whispered suddenly, closing her eyes. "We must go and ask that woman."

"Huh?" Atalanta frowned and wiped the remnants of juice off her hands. There was another Servant here, who lived alone at the edge of the village like a simple peasant. People respected her but also were afraid of her prophetic visions. "And why is that?"

"She might have seen something. Or at least we can ask her for advice."

"So you want to join the war eventually?" Archer was not afraid, sure that the two of them together could match an entire army in terms of power, but she felt slightly disappointed.

"I just don't want this world to disappear because of their stupid conflicts," Saber explained. "I'm sure you understand why."

Atalanta understood. She glanced at the children playing loudly near the stream. When they spotted her, they all waved their hands, greeting their favorite 'Sis' and encouraging her to join the fun.

She smiled, happy to be here, even if only for a while. It was their safe haven, where people lived happily and no child ever cried for a reason more serious than an injured knee.

Yes, Archer understood how precious this place is, and she was ready to join forces with the devil himself to keep this little paradise safe.

* * *

 _So she suspects that she doesn't stand a chance against Attila and wants to use MY Siegfried to fight her? Hell no!_

Aki and her Servants could actually do nothing to protest or even to express their opinion. The girl opened her mouth, but Ceasar was first to start speaking.

"Be careful, Master, it's almost like a mental attack." It was unusual for Arthur to show up when Aki is awake. The problem must have been very serious. "My magic resistance won't work against it, I'm afraid."

It WAS serious. Aki could feel a strange pressure in her head – not like someone was trying to bind her to his will, but rather to convince her that whatever he says is the best possible way of action.

"Do something, Saber! I won't make it alone!" – she yelled mentally.

"Like what?"

"Sing."

The pause was too long, in Aki's opinion.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! Don't let me focus on his speech any longer, hurry up!"

The King of Knights cleared his incorporeal throat and took a deep, unnecessary breath before he started. The song was melodic and nice, his voice as clear as mountain stream. Aki did not understand words (it was probably some ancient dialect from Albion), but she liked how they sounded. Soon she relaxed completely, amused by Arthur's performance, and that was enough to break Ceasar's mental assault.

It really must have worked, because when the fat Saber looked at Nero, his face expressed something between surprise and anger. The blonde sighed and suddenly stood up from her throne.

"Such a beautiful, talented Master you two have! So much that I would like to have her for myself."

Before Aki even managed to blink, Siegfried and Kojiro were already between her and the three emperors, with their swords unsheathed.

 _Well, that escalated quickly…_

But something was clearly wrong. The girl noticed that Saber's hands shake, like if he was already exhausted after a long fight and could barely keep such giant weapon in his grip.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing serious, Master, don't worry. I'm just… more vulnerable in this cursed fortress."

"It's something about this place…" Assassin clenched his teeth, as frustrated as Siegfried. "The air here feels strange. I wouldn't be surprised if one of this fancy columns fell at us just because someone ordered it to."

"Umu!" Nero confirmed his last assumption with a cheerful smile. "It's no use, you've been in my theater way too long to defeat me now." She snapped her fingers and suddenly rose petals started to fall from the ceiling. " _Aestus Domus Aurea_. As Lancer here said before, we ARE Rome. Rome is within us and manifests everywhere we go. Our Noble Phantasms combined make this fortress impenetrable. It's the safest place for a Master to stay while you two will be fighting for us, don't you think?"

Saber and Assassin looked at Aki questioningly. It was obvious that they would pick up a fight if ordered to, but the girl only shook her head. The difference in numbers was not the problem for these two, but it seemed pointless to fight inside the fortress, with two annoying Noble Phantasms in effect and that fat emperor nearby.

Siegfried frowned, but obeyed and dematerialized his sword.

"As if I have a choice if you intend to held my Master hostage," he growled and Aki had to admit that she's never seen him so angry before.

"We only want to keep the cute girl safe, that's all," Ceasar explained, then stepped back, pierced by Saber's gaze. If Siegfried could launch beam attacks from his eyes, all emperors in the room would fall dead in an instant. At least Aki was sure that no one would dare to touch her, expecting a painful death - an angry dragon is something that shouldn't be underestimated.

"Umu. Come, we must prepare." The red Saber came closer, she was rather dancing than walking through the room. "Don't be so nervous, we are allies! Also there's no need to do anything funny, remember that this place is completely under my control!"

It was an obvious threat – Aki could easily imagine the walls smashing her on Nero's command.

"Just stay here, take some rest." Ceasar wanted to kiss Aki's hand goodbye, but quickly abandoned that idea, seeing a wicked smile on Assassin's face. Lowering his head within the reach of this Servant's katana was like asking to be beheaded. "It will be over soon."

"Shall we?" There was a challenge in Nero's gaze when she stared at Siegfried - and the fact that she was much smaller than the Dragon Slayer did not matter, she still managed to treat him with superiority. "Come, you two, time to give you orders."

None of them moved, waiting for Aki's commands instead.

"Go, I'll be fine."

Although leaving their Master alone inside the fortress was hard, they obeyed, hoping that the red Archer and Caster's group will soon find a solution to their problems.

The last one to leave was that strange Lancer. Passing by, he patted Aki on the shoulder and said:

"You too shall become Roma!"

The girl swallowed, not even knowing why she suddenly felt so uneasy. Although Romulus was extremely polite, it sounded scary.

 _Never_ , she declared to herself and imagined a fitting punishment for Cú Chulainn. His magnificent plan turned out to be a total disaster. _Good that Attila haven't killed the bastard yet! Damn, even ripping out his limbs one by one won't be enough. He literally sent us to the lion's den! I know, I should leave it to Diarmuid. I bet he will be mad… maybe he already is._

She sighed and looked through the window, feeling not like a Master and a hero, but rather a princess locked in the tower.

Something on the plains, a strange gathering, piqued her interest. She held her breath, not believing her own eyes.

"Arthur… please tell me I'm not imagining things."

"No, I can see it too." The voice in her head sounded worried and it wasn't very comforting. "It seems they really are NPCs."

Right before their eyes the Roman army recreated itself from nothingness, like in some really old RPG.


	6. Etzel

First: this chapter is a longer one, because some things must be explained at last.

Second: thanks for comments and PMs, it's a big help to know what You think!

Third: believe it or not, but the real adventure is starting right now…

* * *

 **6: Etzel**

* * *

"Are you sure that entering her tent all of a sudden is a good idea?" – Caster asked, leaning on his staff.

They found the leader's quarter quite easily and had no problems while walking through the endless sea of the Huns. The warriors were busy with battle preparations and literally ignored the strange Servants, stupid enough to march straight into the lion's den.

"We came this far already, we can't go back now," said Beowulf, a little louder than necessary.

"Berserker, be quiet," Diarmuid hissed through his teeth. "She'll hear us."

"I can already hear you!" – came from the inside and the horse skin covering the entrance moved suspiciously… or maybe rather invitingly? "Just hurry up, come in and say what you want. I don't have much time to waste on you."

The trio looked at each other questioningly, then shrugged and did what Saber asked. Caster was first to enter the tent and he even opened his mouth to greet the commander, but Attila gave him no chance to speak.

"What do you want?" – she asked harshly, narrowing her beautiful and scary eyes.

Cú Chulainn tried hard to not frown or insult her with some sexist comment at the very beginning. He looked around, at notes and maps scattered all over the place, and at this strange, powerful Heroic Spirit, squatting in the centre of this mess.

"We came to join your army," he explained eventually, with one of his typical, predatory smiles. "I bet you need talented warriors to get rid of the Romans."

"I don't." Such rough and short answer almost knocked Cú Chulainn off his feet. Saber watched her guests carefully from head to toe. She didn't look impressed. "'Talented warriors'? Don't make me laugh, I'll better do it myself."

"That's a bold thing to say... and do."

"Still not as bold as you three coming here to disturb my battle preparations." She almost cut Caster's fingers with a tip of her sword, when he reached for one of the maps. "I suppose it has no meaning anymore."

"And why is that?"

Attila did not answer, she only gave them a surprisingly sad smile. As on a signal, one of the Hun scouts entered the tent, bowed deeply before his leader and reported in their wild, strange language.

"Oh? It's not usual for the red Saber to attack first, these pitiful Romans don't dare to leave the fortress." She stood up, proud, deadly and ready to destroy her enemies. "She must have some new allies to hide behind their backs. Interesting!"

Lancer and Caster exchanged worried looks and Saber pretended to not notice.

"And what about us?"

"Do what you want. Fight, hide, kill yourself… I don't care. But don't get in my way or you'll be destroyed."

And she left, just like that, with no intention to return.

* * *

"Don't get me wrong, Saber. I'm not always like this, I know the meaning of honor. But sometimes you must sacrifice everything for a single wish, umu?"

Siegfried glanced at Nero over his shoulder, not sure what to think of this sudden confession. The girl looked tired and embarrassed, a hot blush on her pretty face fit her much more than a fierce gaze of the emperor preparing for war.

On the other hand, she's already proved that she's an actress, maybe much better than they all suspected, and it could be just another spectacle to deceive everyone around…

"It's not another Grail War, wishes have no meaning here," he said quietly, having no obligation or desire to justify her unforgivable behavior towards Aki. "Only the duties of Heroic Spirits matter for me now."

The red Saber sighed. Siegfried did not even try to show compassion or understanding, so the further conversation was meaningless.

"Assassin will guard the gate, he said that he's good at it." Nero changed the topic and materialized her strange sword, as crimson as her fancy dress. "We're going to lead the flanks, the center is yours to rule, Dragon Slayer. If you need more motivation, just think what will happen if that horde breaks through to your precious Master. Good luck!"

Siegfried watched her leaving in a hurry and wondered, what unknown danger awaits on the flanks, that the emperors decided to fight personally. It means that Attila isn't the only Servant to be faced today?

Saber sighed and looked around. He noticed, that the troops led by that strange Lancer have already clashed with the enemy forces on the right. Next he glanced at the fortress again, only to see Kojiro, who looked like he was meditating at the entrance with the sword in his hand.

Then, almost by accident, he spotted something unexpected - a cloaked figure on the roof of the castle.

 _The nameless Archer? So he didn't inform Caster's group about the situation but chose to stay with us instead? And now he reveals his position to me? Why?_

Saber wasn't sure if the red Servant showed himself to tell that he will support them from a safe distance, or only to gain their trust and then suddenly stab his so-called 'allies' in the back.

With no more time to think about it, Siegfried raised his sword and waited patiently for the first wave of the charging Huns, determined to not let a single enemy pass through his defense.

* * *

"You may fight or stay neutral, it won't change a thing."

The lone Servant, known simply as 'Jeanne', was feeding the hens gathered in the backyard. The girl with a long blond braid, dressed like a typical peasant, did not look like a Servant, but rather like a native inhabitant of these lands.

"So you've seen something or not?" Surprisingly Atalanta, not Mordred, asked this childish question. It was unusual for the Chaste Huntress to show such impatience, but the presence of the strange Servant made her nervous.

"I've seen the final outcome," Jeanne said, letting the last portion of seeds slip freely from her hand. The birds got rid of the food before it even managed to hit the ground.

"So… which side is going to win?" Mordred tilted her head, already tired of riddles. She came here for advice, not to waste time on such meaningless chatter.

"It's not about winning or losing, but about doing what has to be done." Somehow it sounded too melodramatic, like a goodbye."That's why I want to ask you a favor."

"Go on."

"The supplies you received from the villagers, Saber… You won't be needing them, right? Please bring them to that big flat glade in the northern part of the forest. It's very important for me."

"Whatever…" Mordred only rolled her eyes, already sure that she won't get any more info from this stubborn Servant. "Come, Archer, we will gain nothing by standing here all day."

The smile that Jeanne gave the two friends, while watching them leave, looked incredibly sad.

"Just remember one thing." She turned around and focused on a small black point on the sky (a bird, maybe?). "No matter what time or place it is, you still are Heroic Spirits, and the role of any Heroic Spirit is to protect mortals."

Two big brown feathers have fallen from above. Jeanne reached out and grasped them tightly, thinking, almost praying to the distant sky.

"Better not be late this time, Rider."

* * *

Aki Emiya was not the one to give up easily - she couldn't imagine the possibility of just sitting in the fortress, doing nothing but waiting for her Servants to resolve the problem. Sure that the emperors left the castle at last, she started to wander around the place, to find some clues or maybe even a hidden way out.

 _Well, easier said than done_ , she thought, when the wall before her suddenly changed its shape, forming a dead end. The fortress acted like a self-rebuilding labyrinth, laughing in Aki's face every time she came too close to the exit. _What an irritating Noble Phantasm!_

After hours of walking, when another corridor rearranged suddenly to keep the girl trapped, she noticed a slit in the wall. Without considering the possible consequences of such reckless action, she immediately jumped through this narrow passage.

"I found a hidden room? O-ooooh!"

It looked like a large basement - too large to fit into the fortress, to be honest – bathed in the faint, blue light. Aki didn't have to search long for the source of this mysterious glow.

"Arthur, can you feel it?"

"Yes. What a huge amount of energy!" It was not easy to impress Saber and Aki almost shivered, feeling his sudden enthusiasm. "It reminds me of a Holy Grail of some sort."

The girl came closer and froze, amazed by the view. In the centre of the room a giant cube was floating in the air, emitting this strange light… and an almost infinite stream of magical energy. It looked awfully similar to the hologram in the meeting room, where they spoke with Harvey before the departure.

"Saber… you think that it's a part of that Moon Cell processor?"

"Maybe. But I have no idea how to explain its presence here." The King of Knights stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts and Aki did not dare to disturb him. "Anyway, it doesn't look like a processor, rather works as a power generator. We should investigate this thing. Be careful, Master."

Aki reached out her hand to check the barrier around the cube, but stopped halfway, almost knocked out by a sudden wave of pain. One of her Servants was draining her badly, probably preparing to fire his Noble Phantasm.

"Siegfried?" – Arthur asked mentally, more than concerned.

"Yes, I suppose he's going all out. Too bad we can't give him more power, it must be serious. Never mind, I'm sure he has everything under control." After few short breaths, she regained her usual composure and took a closer look at the generator. She noticed waves of pure magical energy dancing on its surface - like a miniature, primordial ocean trapped inside a cube. "No way… What in the hell is this thing?"

* * *

"The Core Matrix?!" - Caster shouted out of the blue. He was examining the papers and maps Attila left in the tent, for so long that the sounds of the moving Hun army resembled only a distant whispers of the wind.

"What?!" Lancer and Berserker asked simultaneously, not knowing what's going on.

"So she…" But Cú Chulainn seemed too focused on his unexpected discovery to answer, he was flipping pages in a great hurry. "Awesome! But how she managed to hide it for so long?"

"Listen, it doesn't make any sense! I'm not going to stand here when our Master is somewhere out there, maybe even in danger!" Diarmuid clenched his teeth; he was the first Servant summoned by Aki after the mysterious 'vanishing' of Arthur, so their connection was really deep, and he suffered from separation much more than the others. "Do what you want, but I'm going back!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Just look at this, Lancer." Caster grasped a strange map, created probably by Attila herself. There were countless squares drawn on it, some connected by narrow canals, some white and named, others crossed out or painted black. In every square a special point was marked red (and always crossed out inside black squares). "She left it all here on purpose, I'm now sure of it. Look!" He showed his fellow Servants one of the squares, named: 'Sector R'. "R like Roma. We are here, this 'world' is only a piece of the larger puzzle! And this" – he tapped the page with his finger at a special point, drawn inside the symbol of a castle in the centre of the sector – "is the Core Matrix, as Attila described it in one of her notes. The power generator, the source of life in this little fake world!"

"Wha…" Lancer blinked several times, not really sure if he understands correctly. "Wait, so these black squares…?"

"Yes. Attila destroyed their Core Matrixes and evacuated through the canals to another sectors. She's been fighting the system, alone, for no one knows how long already!"

"Damn," Beowulf commented after a moment of heavy silence, and they all agreed with him, truly impressed.

"So this arrogant Saber is actually doing our job here?"

"Ah, it seems so." Cú Chulainn suddenly turned around. "Robin, we must quickly inform Master and the others that Attila is not our enemy!"

"I'm on my way" – came the response from the entrance. Berserker and Lancer almost jumped at the sound, as always cursing Archer's invisibility.

"I still don't understand why the system doesn't recognize Attila as a threat," Diarmuid said, staring blankly at the map. "After taking so many damage it should already cut off her mana resources."

"Maybe it does?" Caster sighed. "That would explain why she's in such hurry. It seems that each sector acts independently, so she must quickly destroy the core before she's detected and cut off."

"But how she managed to get control over the army here?" Lancer rubbed his forehead, thinking. "Maybe she killed the original Attila of this sector and took his place?"

"Probably."

"Damn," Beowulf repeated, then frowned, focused on the papers. "So… our next plan is to let the tanned chick do her job and go there" – he touched the point on the map where one of the canals connects with their sector – "before we will be blown up? Great. But how we'll transport Master through the sea?"

"What sea?" Cú Chulainn blinked, utterly surprised.

"They have a sea here?" Diarmuid almost snatched the map from Berserker's hand.

"Ah. Look at the serpent, here." Beowulf smiled, sure that he recognized the sign correctly. Years spent on the ship were the best of his entire life, after all. "This is Jörmungandr, the sea monster, or rather the ocean itself. This is how sea maps looked like in my times."

* * *

Attila ran through the battlefield like a deadly hurricane. The enemy troops were falling under her sword, like grass falls under the scythe, not able to stop or even slow her down.

But soon an unexpected obstacle blocked her path. Attila stopped reluctantly, observing the unknown adversary.

"Oh?" She narrowed her eyes. "Such a noble, draconic aura… a new Saber, huh?"

Siegfried stood before her, leaning on his sword, like a monument of an ancient warrior. He greeted Altera with a slight bow.

"I'm very sorry but I must ask you to not go any further, mighty and graceful Etzel."

"How do you know this name?" The leader of the Huns tilted her head, more embarrassed than she should be. She hoped that her hair covered a hot blush on her face. No one called her by this name for a very long time, and she couldn't even remember when – or if! - someone described her as graceful. "I see. You must be… the Dragon Slayer?"

He nodded. Etzel was thinking for a while, then tightened the grip on the hilt of her strange sword, visibly angry.

"We share the same legend? Interesting. But why someone like you joined forces with _them_?" She spat the last word like an insult in a very ancient and aggressive language. "What they promised you to make you serve?"

"I'm not serving their imaginary empire. I cannot let you destroy this fortress only because my Master is inside."

"M-master?" She seemed to calm down a little, but still did not put down her rainbow weapon. "I wonder how it's like to have a Master…"

"You want to find out?"

Sensing no mockery behind his words, she gave Siegfried a bitter, extremely sad smile.

"My time in this reality is running out. There's something I must do and you're standing in my way."

"We may find a solution to your problems if you share them with me."

"I'm not going to reveal my plans to a possible enemy agent."

"I understand that you may not trust me." The Dragon-Blooded Knight sighed heavily. "If there's no other choice, my blade will prove my worth."

He picked up Balmung with one swift movement; a single ray of sunlight touched its surface, making the sword shine with a golden glow. Not knowing why, Attila seemed captivated by the view…

But only for a while. A merciless, blank expression momentarily returned to her face, the rainbow weapon cut the air with an ominous sound.

"It's a shame that you insist on being annihilated, Dragon Slayer."

Siegfried only smiled gently, but his eyes were shining with a dangerous light – it was a gaze of a warrior who will stand his ground no matter what in order to protect something – or someone – very precious.

"What are you waiting for, Etzel? Aren't you in a hurry?"

She needed no invitation. When their swords clashed, the entire battlefield froze, silenced by the sound of thunder.


	7. Wars

First: no Aki in this chapter, this is the moment for Servants to shine.

Second: I promise more character interactions later – they have a war to resolve, so please be patient.

Third: thank You for all comments and messages – I wouldn't be able to keep going without them!

* * *

 **7: Wars**

* * *

 _She's amazing!_

Altera quickly realized that her blade and blunt force alone are not enough to seriously wound her adversary, so she attacked with ice. And fire. And the pure energy of light. She was, indeed, the goddess of destruction incarnated.

Siegfried needed all his skills to survive such fierce clash. He was no match for the other Saber in terms of speed, but his experience and durability were enough to stay alive. His eyes could barely keep up to this strange blade - which was more like a ridiculously sharp rainbow (with its own will and absurdly long range!) than a typical sword - so he operated mostly on instinct. He could survive this prismatic storm, yes, but advanced offensive maneuvers were out of the question.

For any observer two fighting Sabers must have looked like nothing more than a noisy cloud of dust and bursting light. It remained like that for a surprisingly long time, before Altera suddenly jumped back, waving her strange weapon like a whip, or rather a tail of a very angry cat.

"It's much more about you than legends say, Dragon Slayer," she said, nonchalantly checking a cut on her forearm. Judging from the look in her eyes, Attila was not used to take any wounds during one-on-one battles. "Too bad I have no time to enjoy this moment. I didn't expect that you'll force me to use my Noble Phantasm…"

In response to her words, the blinding light burst out of the tip of her weapon, to reach the sky and tear it apart.

"A praise from such incredible warrior is beyond any prize," Siegfried bowed slightly, readying his Noble Phantasm in response. He had already seen how destructive her Photon Ray can be, but did not hesitate to oppose it. Actually, deep in his core, he remembered facing even worse hell than that… Despite many injuries here and there, he was ready for another round, his gaze focused and cold like steel.

"Are you sure you won't just let me pass through?"

"As long as my Master is inside, I won't."

Etzel nodded. There were things they wanted to discuss, using words, not swords, but time and circumstances were clearly against them. As Heroic Spirits they could do nothing to change that, only accept their fate and give all they've got for this last exchange of the most powerful attacks.

"…I turn civilizations to dust…"

"The evil dragon shall fall…"

But something was wrong. Siegfried detected an ominous pressure on the battlefield. It was just like another powerful Noble Phantasm is about to be unleashed somewhere nearby, and it felt strangely familiar.

"…ood Arthuuuuuur!"

"Look out!" Before he could even think what he's doing, Siegfried dropped his sword and rushed to Attila, saving her before the wave of red energy wiped both Sabers off the field.

"Why did you…?" Etzel, pinned to the ground and trapped under wounded Siegfried, could not understand what'd just happened.

"I told you I will show you that I can be trusted." He tried to chuckle, but spat blood instead. "And I wanted to have a fair duel with you. We both deserved at least that much. For the effort. Don't you think?"

"Y-yes…? Are you all right? Can you move?"

"Yes, I was only burnt a little, will recover anytime."

But they still didn't get up, suspiciously close, looking each other in the eye. At least until Etzel noticed something on the sky - the rain of energetic arrows coming straight at them.

"Look out!" This time Attila was the one to throw the other Saber on the ground and cover him from the missiles. If just one of them would hit his vulnerable back…

She managed to block most of the deadly arrows with a rainbow mana blast from her blade, but some passed through anyway. Seems like the tanned Saber forgot that she's not invulnerable like the Dragon Knight, and paid greatly for her will to return the favor. She's been wounded so unfortunately, that she lost consciousness in the middle of a fight.

"What have you done, mighty and graceful Etzel?" Siegfried sighed, checking her condition. It didn't look like she's been dangerously damaged, but such sudden weakness was suspicious anyway, like she's lost the source of energy. "We won't go anywhere by rescuing each other over and over, you know?"

He looked around. Anyone who planned to attack them now was pushed back by the nameless Archer and his strange exploding arrows, also some familiar Servants were running through the battlefield to join the fight...

"What took you so long, Caster? Well, it's about time to retreat, I guess." Siegfried sighed again, picking up the limp body of Etzel from the ground.

* * *

"Seems it's already too late and that cute stray kitten is having fun. Damn it."

Robin clenched his teeth, thinking what he should do now. The battle not only has already started, but also seemed totally out of control. The rain of arrows that covered the entire area was enough for a proof that the village kitten and her little red friend had decided to join the fun, making the chaos around… unbearable.

Robin shook his head and wrapped himself carefully in his cloak, activating the invisibility again. There was no chance for him to break through this mess unnoticed and deliver the message to the red Archer, but he would try anyway.

He didn't make it far from the edge of the forest. Even though he was prepared for the upcoming strike, he barely managed to avoid it.

"Found you." The huntress, hidden on the tree branch so perfectly, that she could be taken for a shade casted by the leaves, released her arrow.

Robin whistled through his teeth, honestly impressed. If not his extraordinary reflexes, a dreadful missile, which now stuck in the folds of his cloak, would sever his tendon, immobilizing him for good.

"That was something! May I ask how did you notice?" He smiled, uncovering his face before the worthy rival.

"Hmmpff." Atalanta emerged from the bushes and lowered her bow, sensing no danger from the other Archer. Or maybe she was just too excited to speak with him at last? "You were very careful, I must admit, but a shadow betrayed you."

Robin shook his head at her simple explanation. Of course he had no way to always avoid sunlight, but no one ever managed to detect – and shoot! - him basing only on such small signs of his presence. It made him even more impressed with that adorable kitten.

"So… you've decided to join the war," he started with his usual smile, to break the tension. "Let me ask which side of the conflict do you support – Rome or the Huns?"

"Neither." The huntress grimaced and nervously moved her tail. "We're here to save our village, that's all."

"There's nothing you can do, really." Archer said softly; a bit of pity rang in his voice. "This entire sector will be destroyed no matter what you do."

"What do you mean?" Both the fiery gaze of the green huntress and the tone of her voice told Robin that he's stepping on thin ice now. Still, a chance to make a new powerful – an extremely cute! - ally was worth the try.

"Don't look at me like that! This 'world' is not real, it's like a simulation or something. So are trees, birds and even people here. When the core is destroyed, all of this will vanish. That's why you and your little friend in red should leave this sector with us before it happens."

Atalanta blinked, not sure if she understands correctly. Did he just ask her to abandon the ones she swore to protect, and flee? And what did he mean by saying that people of her village are not real? She has seen them smiling, crying, bleeding, even dying and none of this was fake! Even if something seemed… odd about this place, it was their home, the only reality they knew. No one has right to deny them the right to exist. No one!

"How dare you?!" - she growled, almost like a wild beast. "How dare you call yourself a Heroic Spirit! You are just like that woman, who calls herself a saint but averts her eyes from misery of others in the end! I won't let you kill them!"

Robin jumped back just in time, avoiding an arrow which supposed to hit him right between the eyes. But another one came soon after. And another, with no end.

"Hey, hey, hey! I don't want to kill anybody! What have I said or done to make you think so?!" Talking and dodging arrows at the same time was not a good idea; one of them already left a nasty wound on his arm. "I just explained the situation to you, don't kill the messenger!"

"I won't let you destroy my village!" The way Atalanta shouted that strange oath, with pain and unbearable despair, surprised the other Archer. She must have been through a lot to react so emotionally. "I don't care if they are considered fake in your world – here they are real! There's no way I'm mistaken!"

"Could you, please, calm down and let me explain? I don't want to fight you!"

"Then stop moving and die already!" Wild green light gathered around her bow – a clear sign that she's going to use her Noble Phantasm again. "I will wipe you all out, along with your stupid wars!"

"You don't even listen to me anymore?" Robin loaded his crossbow and this time charged forward to distract the angry kitten. "But… hey! Your red Saber friend is already out there, right? You want to kill her with that ridiculous rain of arrows?"

"Shut up! No one will stand on my way!"

"Well, I don't really want to do this, but maybe a little poison will make you see the reason." Robin sighed heavily. The sole energy gathered around Atalanta's bow overwhelmed him, but he wasn't the one to give up so easily.

No, if there's a way to solve this problem, Archer will surely find it. If not… Well, at least he will buy enough time for the rest to get their Master out of that stupid fortress.

* * *

Diarmuid led the way through the battlefield, like an angry black zigzag, rather avoiding obstacles in a hurry than destroying them. Caster was following close behind, nonchalantly hitting NPCs with his staff. Berserker did not even bother to use his fists or swords – anyone unlucky enough to bump into him ended crushed by the sole power of impact.

Because of that annoying ability of NPCs to constantly recreate themselves, the battlefield stretched to an unimaginable size. The three emperors were nowhere to be seen, only two dazzling red auras betrayed the presence of enemy Servants somewhere on the right.

Lancer needed only a short pause to take a look around and analyze the situation. It wasn't hard to spot Siegfried in the distance, as tall as he was and wielding his gigantic sword. Saber kept clearing one wave of the NPCs after another in the bursts of blue and golden light. He had chosen a very favorable defensive position - with his back protected from two sides, by the castle's wall and a pile of rubble, he could keep repelling an entire army for hours.

But why he decided to stay as away from the battle as possible, like he was guarding something?

"Hey, isn't it that tanned chick I see over there?" Beowulf winced, when a random Hun rider interrupted his observations. He impatiently grabbed the man and threw him away together with the horse.

"That explains a lot," Diarmuid noticed dryly.

"So the Huns attack Attila as well?"

"I see. The system recognized her as its enemy at last and tries to eliminate her." Caster sighed. "Seems that we have less time than expected."

"Indeed," Siegfried confirmed when they finally arrived to help him. "I fear that, without a Master, she's not going to last long enough to tell her story."

Even a brief glance at the unconscious Saber was enough to tell that her time in this reality is limited. Her wounds, although shallow, stopped healing and her entire body looked like it was about to melt under the weakest touch of sunlight. There was something good in her slumber, though. Weakened and still, she did not seem to be a scary destroyer of worlds. Not at all. Her vulnerability and calm, relaxed expression, made her more girly… and very attractive. Caster tilted his head, clearly having something dirty on mind, but at loud he said only:

"You did a great job guarding her so far, Saber."

"Well, it's not that…" Siegfried blushed with no particular reason, making Beowulf and Cú Chulainn chuckle. "Whatever. Better go to the gate already, Assassin has problems there. It seems that only that red Archer saves his ass for now. I can handle things here, don't worry."

Lancer only nodded and rushed to the fortress, mercilessly cutting down anyone stupid enough to stand between him and his Master. He had wasted enough time already!

Actually, he was angry at himself for agreeing to this stupid plan. He shouldn't have left Aki's side and he will never make that mistake again!

His crazy raid through the enemy's ranks ended in the crowd near the main gate. The Huns, who had no reason to invade the castle anymore, were still attacking Kojiro, probably even more fervently than before. It could mean that the System has already recognized their little team as a threat and allies of the treacherous Attila…

Right now Diarmuid did not care. The system could go to hell, and the whole world could burn. His vision went red and his chivalry curled hopelessly in the abandoned, dark corner in the back of his mind.

He just wanted to get Aki back.

"Out of my way!" Blinded by anger, Lancer was about to do something stupid, like throwing both his spears at once or wasting energy on Noble Phantasm…

"Kaunaz!"

Caster's flames cleared the path before him. Cú Chulainn's perfect timing saved not only Diarmuid, but also exhausted Assassin.

"What took you so long?" Kojiro did not even try to behave like a hero anymore – he just slumped to the ground, breathing heavily. His clothes and sword were red with blood (partially his own), hair tangled and face paler than ever before. "I'm not a Saber to fire laser beams from my sword. I could have died here, you know?"

"It's your fault that you're all talk and no action." Lancer harshly cut him off and started poking the main gate to the fortress with his red spear.

Assassin mockingly raised an eyebrow.

"You're unusually aggressive today, you know?"

"And you're unusually serious today, you know?" Diarmuid almost barked, not in the mood for jokes. "Is it because of that tiny scratch?"

Kojiro snorted, glancing at an ugly hole in his chest. Some ribs were broken, but his core remained untouched and he wasn't steaming with mana… yet. He could still keep fighting if necessary, but would rather take some rest first.

"Well, it seems that I can truly shine in one-on-one duels. Fighting with wild hordes is just not my thing," he admitted eventually, hiding his embarrassment behind an awkward smile.

But Lancer wasn't listening to him anymore – he examined the wall of the fortress instead.

"What are you doing?" Beowulf frowned, doubting which Servant in their team has truly deserved to be called a berserker. "You're trying to break the wall with that spear or what?"

Diarmuid rolled his eyes in response.

"Gáe Dearg can dispel magic, remember? I thought I can create an opening and sneak inside."

"It's more complicated than that." Caster sighed. "Walls are not the problem, rather a thin layer of magic wrapped around them." He focused and tried a few runes on the stubborn stones. "Actually, the spell reaches even deeper, to the point of overwriting reality. They tied their Noble Phantasms pretty well. Sneaky Roman bastards."

Lancer growled, tightening the grip on his spears so much that his wrists became pale. Other Servants did not comment it – they all felt the unbearable urge to go and immediately rescue Aki, no doubt about it. But Diarmuid seemed to be more… emotionally involved.

"So what do I need to do to get inside?"

"Her spell is the core, so I suppose that the most efficient way is to kill that red Saber emp… Hey, hear me out to the end, could you?!"

Cú Chulainn did not manage to end the sentence – Lancer was already on the run, like a deadly black missile in search of its target.

* * *

Feeling the ground shaking after another explosion, Jeanne involuntarily looked through the window, hoping that her little plan will work this time.

Sometimes she hated her role of a simple observer. The fate of more than one virtual reality was about to be decided, and she could do almost nothing to help.

It was not the right moment for her to intervene. Not yet.

"We, Heroic Spirits, are only specters from the distant past, we have no right to decide about the future," Jeanne whispered to herself, taking one last look at the place she called home for few last weeks. She got used already to a constant pilgrimage through the system, from one destroyed sector to another, but still felt sorry for all virtual lives dispatched so easily on the way.

Jeanne sighed, shaking off her regrets and doubts. Arrival of this single mortal Master could change everything, and it was her duty to witness that girl's path to the bitter end.

"It is time."

Her armor and weapons appeared in a single blast of energy. With the look of determination in her eyes, Jeanne once again resumed her pilgrimage.

She tried not to look at the villagers, terrified by distant sounds of the battle between Servants and their fake armies. So many Heroic Spirits in one place, going all out, could intimidate even an experienced magus. Simple people had any right to be scared to death.

But they seemed also strangely resigned. Deep inside, they must have noticed all signs of the upcoming end. Even the air stopped moving in this sector, and flowers smelled here like decay.

On the edge of the village, a mother was trying to calm down her children with a simple lullaby. Jeanne could not ignore the bitter irony of this situation.

 _Soon they all will be put to sleep_ , she thought, and entered the forest, trying hard not to look back.

It was the last song of a vanishing world.

* * *

"Berserker, stay at the gate, please."

"But I'm needed there to fight Servants!"

"No, you're needed here. Assassin is wounded, Saber clearly has enough and he's guarding Attila, so you're our main power. It's your task to keep Master's prison safe until the emperors are defeated."

Beowulf fell silent for a moment, rubbing his cheek, then nodded reluctantly. At such moments Caster was truly grateful that this guy is sane enough to be reasoned with.

"I should be the one to fight that red Saber," Berserker murmured anyway, visibly disappointed.

"Yeah. But no one can stop this madman." Caster sighed and lightened up a cigarette. "There's a legend about him: it's been said that he defeated the entire army of some little kingdom all by himself just to get a certain healing cup." He chuckled. "Everything for a woman, you know?"

"I've heard how they were talking about it with Siegfried. Our Saber also conquered a small country all by himself. And you defended one like that, am I right?"

"Something like that... And a woman was also involved. Actually not only one." He shook his head, strangely amused. "Our legends would not be as spectacular without women, don't you think?"

Beowulf, truly a soft-hearted giant, only sighed, remembering something.

"I cannot blame him for loving our cute Master this much, but…"

"…but he should rather keep calm and think first," Assassin concluded, staring blankly at the battlefield. NPCs stopped fighting for a moment and started to gather, either to search for Attila, or to attack the rogue Servants. It felt strange to witness the Huns and remnants of the Roman army marching together rather than killing each other.

Caster laughed at loud at Assassin's suggestion.

"We are Celtic heroes, dear Kojiro. We don't keep calm – we run naked into battle, screaming at you!"

"Well, that's what forest barbarians like you would certainly do." Sasaki smiled faintly to his own thoughts. "By the way… where is Robin?"

The answer to his question came unexpectedly in form of a massive explosion in the distance. Hearing it, Beowulf crossed his arms, utterly disappointed.

"It's not fair to make me stay here and do nothing while you'll be having the real fun elsewhere…"

"Once they gather, you will have an army of NPCs to exterminate, Berserker!" – came the voice from the roof. They all looked up to see the nameless Archer, waving to them mockingly. "I cannot fire my arrows forever, with all the fighting around your Master soon will be drained to exhaustion."

"No need to hear that from you," Beowulf murmured, but already prepared his weapons, pleased that he will have some fun as well.

"You seem to forget about one last issue," said Assassin. "That new red Saber is strong – or mad - enough to challenge both Siegfried and Attila at once. And we don't even know what she wants."

"So, it's mine problem to solve then?" Caster dropped the already useless cigarette and smiled like a mad dog. "I would rather use my spear, but…"

"Wait." The red Archer jumped down to join them on the ground. "I'll go with you. It's always better to have someone to cover your back, right?"

"Oh?" Cú Chulainn arched an eyebrow, staring at the other Servant like he has just met him for the first time. "And what can you do without your bow and shield?"

Archer did not answer, only smiled and materialized two blades, elegant and short. Caster needed to admit that they fitted him well, although their simple black and white pattern still seemed like a strange choice for someone with so shady intentions. Nevertheless, the view itself felt strangely familiar, like he has just met an old friend… or foe.

"Hope you can keep up, I won't be waiting for you!"

"Hmmphh."

And the strange duo, red and blue smudges of light, rushed through the battlefield, perfectly synchronized. Just like old friends… or foes.


	8. Names

First: I'm very sorry for the delay, but the last few months were terrible for me… Let's just say that spending Christmas in a hospital wasn't nice at all.

Second: a lot of spears is flying casually in this chapter, hope You don't mind. ;)

Third: thank You for patience and tons of support, I really appreciate it!

* * *

 **8: Names**

* * *

"Have you found something, Billy?"

The blond Archer jumped down from a ladder in a dusty library, carrying some very old tomes of reports and other formal papers.

"Not much," he admitted with a sigh. "Mostly things you already knew. In the past the Emiya family indeed participated in the Holy Grail Wars, twice, both with Saber class. And there's also the murder case…"

Medusa, who was sitting comfortably on a chair, with even larger portion of notes, nodded, letting her companion know that she knows about it as well.

"Keep searching," she said, adjusting her glasses. Archer wondered for a while if she's fully aware how good she looks in this simple sweater and jeans.

The system was shut down for about three weeks, so most of Servants already got changed to casual, modern outfits. Masters managed to activate their circuits enough to keep their remained familiars 'alive', but fights on the arena were still out of the question.

Some families already started panicking, feeling desperate and defenseless without regular inflow of cash. Others, less dependent on this shady business, only kept complaining and pressing on the Council to bring the tournaments back as soon as possible. The last group focused on preparing another team to be sent into the system and 'fix the mess that incompetent girl made'.

They completely ignored the fact that it was still too soon to jump to conclusions. Doctor Rufus, of course, would never admit that he, not that rebellious red Archer, was responsible for cutting off the communication with Aki Emiya. And the girl, who only tried to help everyone, was the last person they should blame for this catastrophe.

For some reason Gilgamesh supported the last fraction, and even declared that he will join the expedition. Medusa knew the King of Heroes long enough to suspect that he had some kind of a dangerous plan, so she considered joining the rescue team as well. She even participated in a meeting with the young mage from Tohsaka family, who was the official candidate to lead the volunteers.

"Makoto Tohsaka, the jewel mage, Gandr user, and specialist of fire spells," she read quietly, scratching the file with her fingernail. "Servants summoned: one. Class: special. Details unknown, never participated in a tournament. Hmmmm…"

Medusa could barely feel the presence of this strange Servant during the meeting. He was really good at keeping his statistics hidden… maybe thanks to a personal skill? Rider wasn't sure. Servants in special classes were extremely rare, so she couldn't tell much about them. The only one she encountered so far was a crazy Ruler lady, Astraea. Their duel had been recognized as the best fight of a season back then, that's why Medusa could now use her fame to gain more freedom and legally visit the archives whenever she wanted.

Billy interrupted this chain of chaotic thoughts and memories with a meaningful cough.

"I thought we're here to gather knowledge on Emiya family, not Tohsaka."

"Their stories are tied together stronger than you think," Rider replied with an enigmatic smile, turning few pages back. "Here: after the mysterious death of Aki's parents one of the three great families accused Tohsakas of the assault. It looks like a vicious scheme to me, honestly. The evidence was just too obvious and the tribunal of the Clock Tower seemed a bit too eager to sentence them. Only the Edelfelt family had some doubts back then. Although officially no one had been punished, rumors spread wide enough to destroy the Tohsakas. Makoto's parents died suddenly juts few months later, in shame and poverty, too proud to accept any help." She paused for a while, thinking, trying to gather all the pieces of this strange puzzle together. "I've heard that the boy summoned a Servant not long after their death, when he was still a child. Then he locked himself up in their residence and literally disappeared from public view, until yesterday."

"They must be truly desperate," Carmilla said with a nonchalant smirk. No one noticed she'd been standing in the open door for a while – a privilege of Assassin class, it seems. Her elegant, crimson dress discretely emphasized her vampiric nature. "Aki Emiya is considered an outsider in the magi society, but Makoto Tohsaka is a criminal, a roguish freelancer known for accepting even the dirtiest tasks." She chuckled. "And they still let him borrow the King of Heroes for this quest."

"I would rather say they think Gilgamesh will keep an eye on the young mage." Billy smiled, but sighed heavily just a moment after. "And we're going to keep an eye on the Goldie, I see." Rider nodded, although she had her own reasons as well. "And you, Assassin?"

"I'm staying. In case they're planning to get rid of all of you and shut the server down for good." A particularly wicked smirk crossed her beautiful face. "Someone has to."

Medusa nodded again, although she was sure that Carmilla was also plotting something and she might ask to return the favor, sooner or later. Bur, honestly, was there a better person to deal with a bunch of greedy mages than the Blood Countess?

Rider doubted that, and was actually glad that Assassin was in their 'team', at least for now.

* * *

Nero knew she's been losing control on the battlefield. The system was not interested in her war anymore, took command over soldiers of both sides and led them against the new enemy. Only the most faithful legionaries, kept closer to the emperors, remained obedient, although at the heavy cost of magical energy.

The dream, that was almost in Nero's reach, suddenly drifted away. And it was the last thing to worry about at the moment. Soon a new danger appeared before the emperor – a strange warrior with two spears, bathed in blood from head to toe.

"I have no time to waste, so I will ask you only once: will you withdraw your Noble Phantasm and let my Master leave the fortress?"

Nero blinked, not sure if she understood correctly this bold demand.

"You came all this way, destroying almost half of my army, just to ask such ridiculous question?"

Lancer's eyes narrowed dangerously. He had no intention of discussing anything with Nero – freeing Aki was his only goal and desire.

"So you won't let my Master go?"

"I won't. It's too dangerous, for her and everyone else."

Diarmuid did not even blink – he just raised both spears and prepared his most powerful attack.

"Gáe Dearg! Pierce! Gáe Buidhe!"

Nero's eyes widened in shock – she didn't expect this strange Lancer to just use both his Noble Phantasms without warning. Only skills borrowed through her Imperial Privilege saved her this time. Although dodging both spears at once seemed nearly impossible, somehow she managed to do so.

"I see..." Blessing her luck, she tried to act cool. Letting him catch her off guard felt embarrassing enough – showing weakness was out of the question! "Won't you at least tell me your name?"

But Lancer did not answer, only stared at her with those insane eyes and prepared another deadly attack.

Nero slowly breathed out the air, preparing for the worst. Whoever the warrior in black was, he couldn't be taken lightly. Saber acknowledged his devotion to that cute Master… or maybe it was something more?

"You're giving me no choice." She materialized a red rose and tossed it to the ground, summoning her Golden Theater.

* * *

Exactly at the same moment the walls of the enchanted Roman fortress returned to their original shape.

"The spell has been broken," Aki noticed with both hope and fear. "Good job, guys! Now we can finally get out of he... Whoa!"

A particularly big fragment of the ceiling almost fell on the girl's head. It seemed that Nero's Noble Phantasm had been woven into the structure of the building so deeply, that everything just started to fall apart without it.

"I need your sword," Aki commanded dryly, already running through the collapsing underground corridor.

"Are you sure? You're tired, and it will get even worse." The last time she borrowed Arthur's power, she paid for it with internal injuries and couldn't wake up for almost two weeks. It was long ago, and she's got much stronger since that day, but… "You should rather keep the energy for later."

"There will be no 'later', if the roof falls on our heads."

That argument convinced Saber. Aki could feel a characteristic shiver coming from tips of her fingers to elbows, when the familiar magic tried to take over parts of her body.

"Don't fight it," Arthur reprimanded her gently, and the girl blushed, humming something apologetically. With a slight blow of warm air shiny gauntlets appeared on her hands. "All is set."

Now it was Aki's turn to do some magic. She focused and activated Arthur's enormous circuits. It was easy to lose herself in this river of magic, to simply go with the flow and destroy everything on sight, so she concentrated all her willpower on keeping the raging energy in check.

She created a precise image of the sword in her mind, so perfect she could almost feel the coldness of metal and the thin layer of golden energy hidden within the blade…

"Trace on!"

With Saber's approval and help, Excalibur materialized obediently in all its glory. The broad, elegant blade did not feel heavy in Aki's hand when she swung it, adjusting her body to the strength she had borrowed from Saber.

"Ok. Let's go!"

Her feet of a top class Servant carried her through the labyrinth of corridors and let her swiftly avoid falling stones. Her sharpened senses detected the smallest signs of danger on the way and the magnificent sword in her hands destroyed every single obstacle, so easily it felt like cutting butter.

This bold charge ended abruptly just few steps from the main gate, in the infamous throne room where all the mess had started. The fortress threw at them its last guardian – a beast, probably made of stone, looking more or less like an imperial lion.

"A golem?" - Aki asked, adjusting the grip on Excalibur's hilt.

"Probably," Saber answered, observing the new enemy. "Some kind of construct for sure."

"Whatever it is, it's huge. And most likely the door won't open until it's defeated."

"Don't worry, Master. Destroying huge enemies is my specialty. Shall we?"

* * *

 _Poison her, huh? Easier said than done_ , Robin thought, pretending that he's not desperately searching for cover.

Although she'd been hit with at least one 'special' arrow, the huntress seemed unaffected by the toxin. Was it some kind of individual ability, high endurance or just rage? Archer didn't know it, but he was well aware that he's running out of time and tricks to come out of this alive.

Constantly reminding himself that the kitten is not a force of nature, but a Servant like any other, Robin insisted on talking to her and explaining his motives over and over. Who knows, maybe some particular choice of words will finally sober her?

"Let's say you have a point here…" – he kept babbling, losing hope – and breath – with every passing second – "…but what good will come from your blind rage? How can you save anyone if you can't even control your own emotions? What's your next step, huh? Turning into a Berserker and mindlessly hurting the ones you wanted to protect?"

At least a part of his verbal rampage must have hit the spot, because the huntress stopped suddenly. After few deep breaths she finally lowered the bow and whispered:

"It's just... in my core… I remember something like this already happened. I knew that nothing could be done, but something within me just screamed it's wrong, so wrong… I knew that rampaging around won't help anyone, but… If we truly are heroes, how can we just say it's fine and turn our backs on suffering of others?"

Her honest confession touched something within Robin's soul, opened an old wound, buried so deep he almost forgot it ever existed.

"It's all right," he ensured the other Archer, dissolving his weapons. "I understand how you feel, I fought countless impossible, hopeless battles. And I knew it's meaningless in the end but still kept opposing fate." He sighed. "But it's not important anymore. Now we must think what to do."

Atalanta took another deep, desperate breath and looked him in the eye, finally focused. When Robin was sure she's listening carefully, he continued with his explanation.

"Maybe we've lost one battle here, but the war is far from over. Was it just a sick experiment or a part of some bigger plan? Who's the enemy? The system? Or something far worse?"

The huntress tensed, realizing how little she understood. She shook her head, showing that she can't give him any answer.

"That's what we're trying to find out," the green Archer added warmly. "To prevent such tragedies from happening, we must know who or what is responsible for this mess. At least let us try. If we fail, well… you can kill us later. Fair enough, don't you think?"

Showing her that he cares was probably the most difficult thing for Robin. After all, he spent so many years on mastering the art of pretending that he doesn't care…

"Just leave me alone," Atalanta said eventually and turned around.

"Wha…?" Robin blinked, not able to understand this sudden change. "Aren't you going to do something with Saber? She's your friend, right?"

"Go away before I change my mind."

So he did, but when he glanced at her for the last time, he saw her arms shaking from suppressed cry.

* * *

"I feel jealous," Arthur said all of a sudden. "That was Siegfried's move, not mine! And that one you've learnt from Assassin. Does it mean that my swordsmanship is not enough for you?"

"I just wanted to be prepared in case we encounter a dragon or…"

"… or a really big swallow? But this is not anything of a kind, so my technique should be optimal. Now focus and fight properly, Miss Emiya."

"Hey, I am your Master, don't order me around!"

"And I am your king, ordering people around is my job."

It was only their ususal banter. Their bodies and minds merged perfectly, so they quickly discovered that the stone body of the lion is almost immune to slashing of a sword, even as magical as Excalibur. They needed some kind of short energetic blast to crush the golem in one strike.

Of course, Saber knew some useful tricks, but he remained hesitant – Aki could feel only a nice breeze of energy when they needed a hurricane.

"It's not the right moment to be gentle," she reprimanded him softly. "I'll be fine, just try not to blow up my circuits."

"As you wish."

Brightness surrounded the sword. The girl needed to be really careful and not drop the blade, when the golem tried to smash Aki's head with its enormous paws. She dodged, distracted the beast with a slash right to its nose and dived between the lion's legs to attack it from behind.

"Now two steps back, one step right," Arthur ordered and his Master obeyed without complaining. "Get ready!"

"Take thaaaaaaat!"

With a single swing of Excalibur a wave of blue light flew towards the enemy, devouring everything on its path. Saber's magic easily bit into the stone. One crack after another and eventually the construct disintegrated into dust.

"We… did it," Aki said, painfully catching her breath. The sword and gloves dissolved instantly and the girl fell on the floor, gracelessly hitting it with her butt.

And, before Arthur managed to congratulate her, she spat a portion of blood and fell limply on the floor, instantly losing consciousness.

* * *

"We're in trouble," the nameless Archer stated the obvious, barely avoiding a kick in the chest.

"Well, we both knew it won't be easy." Cú Chulainn gave him a wide, wild grin in response. "But she's at the level of our king, can't say I expected that."

The armored warrior seemed to hesitate for a moment, shorter than a blink of an eye. Is it possible that they're speaking of father? If so, she needed to end them quickly and check it before the war is over.

To reach that goal she sped up even more and attacked with such force that the ground split in two under the blow of her deadly sword.

"Pheeeew, you move like a Berserker!" Caster chuckled awkwardly, too proud to admit that he'd almost been beheaded. "Our teddy bear would be delighted to fight you."

Archer almost snorted at the thought of Beowulf's reaction after being called like that. Their gentle giant had a huge sense of humor, so he would probably appreciate the comparison, but his fists were sometimes faster than thoughts.

"Are you done fooling around?" Saber had no intention of giving them a break. Two insanely bold moves, a jump and a complicated maneuver with the blade, let her attack Cú Chulainn from behind. "Got you now!"

Caster's staff shattered to pieces under another strike and the druid found himself in serious troubles. Archer tried to intervene, attacking Saber from the left, but she predicted such action and sent him few meters back with a powerful kick in the ribs.

Fortunately, it gave Cú Chulainn enough time to fire flaming runes in Mordred's face.

"Damn you!" - she howled through the heated helmet, and pursued him mercilessly, more and more furious with his every successful dodging maneuver. "You can't running away forever, you know?"

Caster knew it, and was desperately trying to find a way out of this situation. Having no time for long incantations necessary to activate his Noble Phantasm, he clenched his teeth and decided to draw runes directly on the Saber's helmet, risking a serious injury in the process. Chances of blowing off the enemy's head were thin, but he really had no other choice, right?

"Ready or not…"

Cú Chulainn jumped forward and Saber slowed down, not sure what he's planning…

"Caster!"

Archer showed up again, literally out of nowhere, and threw something to Cú Chulainn, who caught it automatically. His fingers grasped instinctively a piece of cold, red metal. It felt like welcoming an old friend.

Thinking that the mysterious bowman will have to explain everything later, Caster took aim.

"Your heart is mine! Gáe Bolg!"

The way Saber reacted to this unknown Noble Phantasm seemed familiar for Cú Chulainn. She jumped back and tried to block the spear with her sword, not completely aware of the real danger behind Caster's attack.

Although the throw was unprepared and far weaker than usual, the spear clearly kept its magical abilities. Still, for a second or two Cú Chulainn wasn't sure if the special move of his Lancer counterpart really worked. Wild bursts of red light were dancing for a while on the surface of Mordred's blade, before the magic activated completely and pierced her heart. Saber made a surprised, painful shout, lost balance and fell on her knees, raising a cloud of dust from the ground.

Caster narrowed his eyes, observing how the spear dissolved into thin air like one of Archer's arrows he'd seen before. He had many questions, but did not start investigating the other Servant, feeling that the fight wasn't over yet.

The nameless bowman came closer, still tensed and ready to fight. He, too, suspected that the imperfect copy wasn't enough to bring down such powerful adversary.

Saber remained still for a long moment, but she didn't vanish. Finally her fingers moved slightly, searching for the hilt of the sword.

"You… two weaklings…" Mordred was struggling to catch a breath, so she dematerialized her helmet and parts of armor. She slowly stood up, ignoring the red sparkles, that were still burning her skin near the heart. "Now I'm really angry!"

"Hey, hey, hey, that's not funny anymore!" Cú Chulainn started to draw protective runes straight in the air. "We must finish her before she'll do something really stupid. Archer? Archer!"

But the red bowman did not listen, only stood there like a complete idiot, with his jaw dropped and gaze focused on the ranting woman in shattered armor.

"It can't be… That face…"

"Ha! I knew it." Mordred smiled triumphantly; it looked pretty scary in her current state, with blood and dust covering most parts of her face. "Now... be good boys and take me to father. If you do so, I may consider letting you live."

* * *

As soon as Aki opened her eyes, she was struck with a strange feeling of _déjà vu_. Her last nap on Beowulf's lap happened not so long ago, but it felt like ages.

It seemed that two more Servants were guarding her this time. The girl focused her gaze on Assassin's face and frowned. She has never seen him so worried - and battered – before. Siegfried was right behind him, glancing nervously at the fortress, as if expecting it to produce some kind of a new, terrible enemy. And Arthur in her head only sighed with relief, making Aki sure that convincing him to mix their powers again won't be easy anymore.

Ignoring the pain and exhaustion, she smiled warmly to her Servants.

"It's good to see you again. Where are the others? And how did you manage to bring me outside?"

"We heard your scream, so we came," Beowulf explained, shrugging, like it was only natural and did not involve a bloody massacre to get inside. "The rest is keeping enemies at bay, so don't worry and nap as much as you want."

"So the door opened like we expected?"

"We had no time to check." Assassin sighed. "Actually, Berserker came for you through the wall."

"Oh." Aki chuckled awkwardly. "And you, Siegfried? You want to ask me something, correct?"

"Master." The Dragon Knight looked and sounded like a tired dog, too shy to ask for a treat. "Sorry for troubling you when you still feel unwell, but Etzel will vanish, if we don't help her immediately. There are some things about the system only she can explain…"

Aki trusted him completely, so she only nodded and kneeled near the barely conscious Servant. All the explanations aside, she was sure that Siegfried simply didn't want the other Saber to vanish. Arthur hummed meaningfully in her head, confirming what she suspected.

"Don't you know who I am?" Atilla asked quietly, already too weak to hide the hand grasped by Aki. "I am Altera, The Divine Punishment, Whip of God… All I know is how to fight and destroy."

"These are just names," Aki said with a gentle smile. "If you have a problem with that, join as not as Atilla, the destroyer of worlds, but as Etzel, the graceful, brave and loyal Saber. You will be a perfect addition to our little gang, I'm sure of it. So – will you accept my offer?"

With every word magic gathered around Aki, moving her hair and clothes, forming a stream that reached the dying Saber and fed her with new energy. It was… refreshing, to feel dependent, but also gave Attila a new kind of power she didn't expect to have.

 _What a strange feeling_ … _Now I understand why you risked everything for this cute Master of yours, Dragon Slayer._

A beautiful, warm smile formed on her lips, when she answered:

"Yes, M-master. I, Etzel, will become your sword!"

"Becoming my friend is more than enough."

Although she tried really hard, Altera couldn't hide her emotions. Even Siegfried's face softened at the view. He helped the other Saber get up.

"I can see you're still in shock," he said with a tiny but warm smile, trying to sound as neutral as possible.

"Y-yes." She shook her head, trying to hide a cute blush on her cheeks. "I don't understand how all of this works. I do feel like a new person and have no idea why is that."

"The contract between a Master and a Servant is a powerful spell that creates new reality," Siegfried explained. "Your life in this new form is yours to shape, mighty and gracious Etzel."

"Could you please… stop calling me that?"

"You don't like it?" Siegfried blinked, a bit disappointed.

Etzel lowered her head; her next words were barely audible.

"No. I like it so much I'm afraid I'm going to get used to it…"

Aki watched these two with a gentle smile – their innocent chatter was a nice change after long, tiring battles. She could feel Arthur's amusement and almost chuckled, when he said something incredibly stupid right into her mind.

This short but peaceful moment was brutally interrupted by a shriek of an unknown beast. They all looked at the sky, covering their eyes from the sun.

"A gryphon?"

"Where are Archers when they're needed the most, huh?"

"I think I've seen this creature before," Siegfried murmured, deep in thoughts.

And then a suspiciously feminine voice reached them from above:

"Fear no more! I come to save you, Maaasteeeer!"

* * *

In a dark, devastated room, two slim figures were sitting near the unused fireplace, sipping wine in silence.

"What's troubling you, Master? You're strangely quiet tonight." The taller figure put away the glass and looked questioningly at his companion.

Only an old-fashioned clock disturbed the silence between them, before the younger man decided to answer.

"He cannot be trusted."

The mysterious Servant chuckled in response.

"To think that the King of Heroes would make such impression on you…"

"It's not about my 'impression', Avenger," the mage interrupted angrily, narrowing his eyes. "It's about your ability to take him down."

They kept staring at each other for a while, exchanging no words but simple thoughts and emotions through their magical bond. Feeling that his Master had enough, Avenger smiled like a predator before a hunt.

"It's unwise to rush into battle unprepared," he said eventually.

"We won't be prepared if we can't dive into the System. And we still don't know if they let us do it."

"They will. Gilgamesh will make it happen."

The mage sighed helplessly, admitting defeat. He knew all of that, but was simply tired of waiting. Since early childhood all his actions were motivated by a single wish, which was now almost within his reach…

"So what should we do until then?"

"Let's do what we always do, Master. Wait and hope."

* * *

[I hate the way my brain works. Proceeding with this and other unfinished stories? Nah. Better plan a spin-off with Makoto Tohsaka, who has just made his debut here.

I hate to be me. Honestly. XD

Hope You enjoyed the chapter and see You next time!]


End file.
